Method of making passage structures

A method of making a passage structure having a plurality of substantially parallel unmachined through passages comprising the steps of:

• 1. providing a plurality of sacrificial elongated metal elements each surrounded by a metal tube, the metal of the elements differing from that of the tubes thereby forming a plurality of composite elements;
• 2. tightly packing the composite elements in a parallel arrangement inside a container, the packing arranged to achieve a maximum packing density;
• 3. evacuating the container;
• 4. sealing the evacuated container;
• 5. constricting the evacuated container to
• i. form a void free body eliminating any interstices between the tubes and within the composite elements,
• ii. reduce the body in cross section to integrate the tubes into a monolithic matrix by solid state diffusion, and
• iii. mechanically reduce the cross section of the integrated matrix and the cross section of the elements to a smaller size;
• 6. cutting the reduced body to pre-selected lengths;
• and
• 7. removing the sacrificial elements from the cut portions to define a plurality of unmachined passages.

A method of making a passage structure having a plurality of substantially parallel unmachined through passages comprising the steps of:

• 1. providing a plurality of sacrificial elongated metal elements each surrounded by a metal tube, the metal of the elements differing from that of the tubes thereby forming a plurality of composite elements;
• 2. tightly packing the composite elements in a parallel arrangement;
• 3. reducing the arrangement
• i. to consolidate it into a substantially void free body, and
• ii. to substantially further reduce the body to integrate by solid state diffusion the adjacent tubes into a monolithic metallurgical matrix with a homogenous microstructure and concomitantly diminish the cross section of the elements and the thus formed matrix between the elements;
• 4. cutting the arrangement into elongated sections having external walls;
• 5. tightly packing the sections in a substantially parallel manner to form a composite arrangement;
• 6. reducing the tightly packed composite arrangement
• i. to consolidate it into a substantially void free body, and
• ii. to substantially further reduce the body to integrate by solid state diffusion the adjacent walls into a monolithic metallurgical matrix with a homogenous microstructure and concomitantly substantially diminish the cross section of the elements and the thus formed matrix between sections;
• 7. cutting the body into pre-selected lengths;
• and
• 8. removing the elements from said constricted body to define holes therein.

A method of making passage structures having substantially parallel unmachined through passages comprising the steps of:

• 1. providing a plurality of sacrificial elongated metal elements each surrounded by a metal tube, the metal of the elements differing from that of the tubes, to form a plurality of composite elements,
• 2. tightly packing the composite elements in a parallel manner inside a first enclosure, the packing arranged to achieve a maximum packing density and the enclosure made from the same metal as the tubes;
• 3. evacuating the first enclosure;
• 4. sealing the evacuated first enclosure;
• 5. heating the sealed evacuated first enclosure and its contents;
• 6. reducing the sealed evacuated enclosure to
• i. form a void free arrangement eliminating any interstices between the tubes,
• ii. reduce the arrangement in cross section to integrate the tubes into a monolithic first matrix by solid state diffusion, and
• iii. mechanically reduce the cross section of the integrated matrix and the cross section of the elements to a substantially smaller size;
• 7. cutting the constricted arrangement into elongated sections of a preselected length;
• 8. tightly packing the sections in a parallel manner inside a second enclosure, the second enclosure made from the same metal as the first enclosure and the tubes;
• 9. heating the second enclosure and its contents;
• 10. reducing the second enclosure to
• i. form a void free second arrangement eliminating any interstices between the elongated sections,
• ii. reduce the second arrangement in cross section to integrate the sections and the second enclosure into a monolithic second matrix by solid state diffusion, and
• iii. mechanically reduce the cross section of the integrated first and second matrixes and the cross section of the elements to substantially smaller size thus forming a matrix unit;
• 11. cutting the matrix unit into preselected lengths;
• and
• 12. removing the sacrificial elements thus providing the desired passage structure.