Method of manufacturing boron carbide armor tiles
AssigneeCeradyne, Inc.
InventorsRichard J. Palicka, John A. Negrych
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of providing fastener holes in extremely hard ceramic armor comprises the steps of: (a) providing a billet of precompacted ceramic powder material; (b) drilling the desired holes in the billet; (c) preparing a plug of non-sintering material that is chemically compatible with and has compaction characteristics similar to the ceramic powder material; (d) pressing the plugs into the billet holes; (e) hot pressing the billet and plugs at conventional temperature and pressure for manufacture of a ceramic armor structure, and; (f) removing plugs by conventional tooling or sandblasting.
Claims15
A method of manufacturing ceramic armor tiles having holes for receiving bolts;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a billet of precompacted ceramic powder material;
- (b) drilling the desired holes in the billet;
- (c) preparing plugs comprising material that is chemically compatible with and has compaction characteristics similar to the ceramic powder material;
- (d) pressing the plugs into respective billet holes;
- (e) hot pressing the billet and plugs;
- and
- (f) removing the plugs.
A method of manufacturing boron carbide ceramic armor tiles having at least one hole for receiving a bolt;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a billet of precompacted boron carbide powder;
- (b) removing a portion of said precompacted powder to form a hole therethrough;
- (c) preparing a non-sintering plug comprising material that is chemically compatible with and has compaction characteristics similar to boron carbide;
- (d) pressing the plug into said hole until said hole is entirely filled by said plug;
- (e) subjecting said billet to temperature and pressure sufficient to sinter said billet to form a brittle ceramic tile therefrom;
- and
- (f) removing said plug from said billet leaving a hole therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.