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US 4,428,906 AGranted
Pressure transmitting medium and method for utilizing same to densify material
AssigneeKelsey-Hayes Company
InventorWalter J. Rozmus
Life of this patent
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AssigneeKelsey-Hayes Company
InventorWalter J. Rozmus
Estimating the term…
A quantity of material (10), which is at less than a predetermined density, is disposed within a sealed container (12) which is, in turn, encapsulated in a pressure-transmitting (18) medium which is, in turn, placed within a pot die (20) of a press where it is restrained as a ram (24) enters the pot die (20) and applies a force to the pressure-transmitting medium (18) to densify the material within the container into a compact (10') of predetermined density. The pressure-transmitting medium (18) is characterized by a rigid interconnected ceramic skeleton structure (26) which is collapsible in response to a predetermined force and fluidizing glass (28) capable of fluidity and supported by and retained within the skeleton structure (26). The glass (28) becomes fluidic and capable of plastic flow at temperatures utilized for compaction whereas the ceramic skeleton (26) retains its configuration and acts as a carrier for the fluidic glass (28). As external pressure is applied by coaction between the pot die (20) and ram (24), the ceramic skeleton structure (26) collapses to produce a composite (18') of ceramic skeleton structure fragments (26') dispersed in the fluidizing glass (28) with the composite (18) being substantially fully dense and incompressible and rendered fluidic and capable of plastic flow at the predetermined densification of the material being compacted within the container. Accordingly, the ceramic skeleton structure (26) is dominant to provide structural rigidity and encapsulation and retainment of the fluidic glass (28') until the skeleton structure (26) is collapsed under ram (28') becomes dominant to provide omni-directional pressure transmission to effect the predetermined densification of the material being compacted within the container (12).
A method for consolidating material (10) of metallic and nonmetallic compositions and combinations thereof to form a densified compact (10') of a predetermined density wherein a quantity of such material (10) which is less dense than the predetermined density is subjected to a pressure-transmitting medium (18) to which external pressure is applied to the medium to cause a predetermined densification of the less dense material by hydrostatic pressure applied by the medium in response to the medium being substantially fully dense and incompressible and capable of fluidic flow at least just prior to the predetermined densification, characterized by utilizing a pressure transmitting medium (18) of a rigid interconnected skeleton structure (26) which is collapsible in response to a predetermined force and a fluidizing material (28) capable of fluidity and supported by and retained within the skeleton structure (26), and applying pressure to collapse the skeleton structure (26) to produce a composite (18') of structure fragments (26') dispersed in the fluidizing material (28') with the composite (18') being substantially fully dense and incompressible and rendered fluidic through the fluidized material (28) at the predetermined densification of the compact (10').
A pressure-transmitting medium (18) of the type for encapsulating a quantity of material (10) which is less dense than a predetermined density by applying pressure thereto to form a densified compact (10') of the predetermined density, said pressure-transmitting medium (18) characterized by a rigid interconnected skeleton structure (26) which is collapsible in response to a predetermined force, and fluidizing means (28) capable of fluidity and supported by and retained within said skeleton structure (26) for forming a composite (18') of skeleton structure fragments (26') dispersed in said fluidizing means (28') in response to the collapse of said skeleton structure (26) at said predetermined force and for rendering said composite (18') substantially fully dense and incompressible and capable of fluidic flow at the predetermined density of said compact (10').
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.