Metal process and article

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF FORMING AND HEAT TREATING A STEEL PRODUCT, COMPRISING: HEATING A STEEL MASS TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO RENDER THE STRUCTURE OF THE STEEL AUSTENITIC, THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SAID STEEL MASS BEING SUCH THAT IT EXHIBITS A METASTABLE AUSTENITIC STRUCTURE WHEN COOLED FROM A TEMPERATURE, AT WHICH AUSTENITE IS STABLE, INTO A SELECTED TEMPERATURE REGION BELOW THAT AT WHICH AUSTENITE TRANSFORMS INTO PEARLITE; COOLING SAID STEEL MASS INTO SAID SELECTED TEMPERATURE REGION TO FORM A METASTABLE AUSTENITIC STEEL; PERFORMING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MECHANICAL DEFORMATION UPON SAID METASTABLE AUSTENITIC STEEL MASS WHILE MAINTAINING SAID MASS WITHIN SAID TEMPERATURE REGION, SAID DEFORMATION PRODUCING A REDUCTION IN CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID MASS OF AT LEAST 10%;