THEORY, PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, AND PROPERTIES OF POWDERS AND FIBERS

Each two years mankind produces and consumes more metal than in the whole preceeding 19 centuries [i]. Machining of metals is one of the most effective and hence widely employed methods of dimensional processing, as a result of which more than 8.5 million tons of swarf is generated every year in the Soviet metalworking plants. Remelting is the conventional method of recycling of machining swarf. In this process, however, some 30% of metal, especially alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, tungsten, vanadium, and molybdenum, is lost, and it is therefore more advantageous to transform swarf into metal powder by milling [2]. Milling plants operate on a large-tonnage scale. Their annual output (various powders) in the world amounts to i billion tons. In their operation, 10% of all the electric energy generated is consumed.