Process for making aluminum modified boron carbide and products resulting therefrom
AssigneeNorton Company
InventorGerald Q. Weaver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for fabricating high density aluminum modified boron carbide compositions comprising the steps of blending specific quantities of powdered boron carbide and powdered aluminum together with a small quantity of temporary organic binder, preforming this mixture to the desired shape with high pressure at room temperature, followed by final densification of the finished product at a temperature below the sintering temperature of boron carbide and at a pressure as low as 500 psi. The resulting compositions are near theoretical density and possess a degree and type of strength which make them well suited as protective armor against penetration by ballistic projectiles.
Claims8
A process of forming boron carbide-aluminum reaction products comprising:
- uniformly blending 70-97% by weight of powdered boron carbide with 3-30% by weight of powdered metallic aluminum;
- wetting the blended boron carbide-aluminum mixture with temporary organic binder contained in a vehicle;
- volatilizing the vehicle for said temporary organic binder;
- preforming and densifying said boron carbide-aluminum-organic binder mixture with pressure at a temperature below 200.degree. C;
- hot-pressing said preform at a pressure of at least 500 psi at a temperature of from 1800.degree. to 2300.degree. C in an atmosphere substantially free of oxygen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.