Removing metal from composite bodies and resulting products

A method for making a ceramic matrix composite body having reduced metal content and reinforced by at least one fibrous material comprising the steps of:

• providing at least one fibrous material;
• placing at least one coating onto said at least one fibrous material;
• positioning at least one parent metal adjacent to said at least one fibrous material so that formation of oxidation reaction product will occur in a direction towards and into said at least one fibrous material;
• heating said at least one parent metal to render it molten and reacting the molten at least one parent metal with an oxidant to form at least one oxidation reaction product and causing continued oxidation reaction product to grow into the at least one fibrous material;
• continuing formation of oxidation reaction product for a time sufficient to embed at least a portion of the at least one fibrous material, thereby forming a fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite body comprising a metallic constituent having at least one interconnected metallic component;
• contacting at least a portion of at least one surface of the formed fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite body with at least one permeable mass comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of at least one filler material and at least one preform of at least one filler material;
• and
• spontaneously infiltrating at least a portion of the at least one permeable mass with at least a portion of said at least one interconnected metallic component of said formed fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite body, thereby reducing the amount of said at least one interconnected metallic component in said formed fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite body.

A method for removing at least one metallic component of at least one metallic constituent contained within a multi-phase composite body comprising:

• placing at least one composite body comprising at least two phases, one of said phases comprising a metallic component, into contact with at least one permeable mass, said at least one permeable mass comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of at least one filler material and at least one preform comprising at least one filler material, said permeable mass contacting at least a portion of at least one surface of the at least one multi-phase composite body;
• communicating at least one of at least one infiltration enhancer and at least one infiltration enhancer precursor with at least one of (1) said at least one metallic component of the multi-phase composite body, (2) said at least one permeable mass, (3) said at least a portion of at least one surface and (4) at least one infiltrating atmosphere, to cause spontaneous infiltration of at least a portion of the at least one metallic component into the at least one permeable mass to occur;
• and
• spontaneously infiltrating at least a portion of the at least one permeable mass with at least one molten metallic component.