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US 5,395,572 AGranted
Process for making cellular silicon carbide
OwnerGregory R. Brotzinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for making a structural member wherein bead members are mixed with a selected material and the mixture is compressed and molded into a shape. The compressed mixture is then heated and the bead members removed by melting. The remaining structure, having been thus formed with a plurality of cells therein where the bead members had been removed, can in some embodiments be further heated to a point sufficient to form a strong, lightweight useful structural member, retaining such plurality of cells therein and creating a substantially solid, structural foam member.
Claims4
A process for producing a structural member comprising the steps of:
- mixing a plurality of bead members of a diameter selected in the range of 1-10 mm in a silicon powder/carbon powder mixture;
- placing said mixture in a mold;
- compressing said mixture in said mold to form a compressed mass;
- removing said compressed mass of silicon powder/carbon powder and bead members from said mold;
- heating said compressed mass to melt said bead members in said compressed mass, the temperature of said heat sufficient for said bead members to leave said silicon powder/carbon powder mass thereby forming a plurality of cells having cell walls in said silicon powder/carbon powder mass in those areas where said bead members have been removed;
- and
- heating said silicon powder/carbon powder mass to a temperature sufficient to react the silicon powder and carbon powder with one another to form silicon carbide with a plurality of cells defined therein where said bead members had been located within said mass.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.