Eltech Systems Corporation

Albert L Barnes

Douglas J Wheeler

Thomas M Clere

Gholamreza J Abbaschian

A method for manufacturing ceramic/metal or ceramic/ceramic composite articles is disclosed. The articles can be useful for the production of aluminum in fused salt electrolysis cells, as armor plates for the protection against projectiles, cutting tools, or in abrasion resistance applications. The temperature slope of the process if optimized such that one of the reactants in the manufacturing proceeds through peritectic decomposition at a heating rate of low temperature increase for desirably uniform temperature distribution over the reaction mixture. Then the temperature increase is greatly elevated to obtain a reaction sintering condition for avoiding grain growth of undesired reaction products. Elevated temperature reaction sintering conditions can be maintained to decompose undesired components before they are entrapped by the reaction product.

Ceramic/metal or ceramic/ceramic composite article

A method for manufacturing ceramic/metal or ceramic/ceramic composite articles is disclosed. The articles can be useful for the production of aluminum in fused salt electrolysis cells, as armour plates for the protection against projectiles, cutting tools, or in abrasion resistance applications. The temperature slope of the process if optimized such that one of the reactants in the manufacturing proceeds through peritectic decomposition at a heating rate of low temperature increase for desirably uniform temperature distribution over the reaction mixture. Then the temperature increase is greatly elevated to obtain a reaction sintering condition for avoiding grain growth of undesired reaction products. Elevated temperature reaction sintering conditions can be maintained to decompose undesired components before they are entrapped by the reaction product.

Method of manufacturing a ceramic/metal or ceramic/ceramic composite

A composite for protection against armor-piercing projectiles is disclosed. The composite can be a ceramic composite which may be utilized alone or with other materials, e.g., a metallic or plastic base or substrate layer. Composites of AlN with TiB.sub.2, SiC, B.sub.4 C or their mixtures are utilized. These ceramic composites can be prepared by hot pressing, reaction hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing or pressureless sintering. The composite may have well dispersed grains for at least one component, which grains can be interconnected with grains of the second component, and the grains may be of a size less than about five microns. The composite in layer form can have a metallic cover layer.

Composite for protection against armor-piercing projectiles

Precursors, particularly of non-oxide ceramics, are prepared by special seeding, under carefully controlled conditions. Such procedures can lead to the preparation of unique powders, which may be useful, for example as abrasives, or further processed in special manner to prepare a variety of metal substances. Such procedures can permit final firing to sintered product.

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Wickliffe, OH, United States of America

Albert L Barnes