Self-supporting bodies

• US 5,296,417 A
• Filed: 01/19/1993
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lanxide Technology Company, LP
• Original Assignee: Lanxide Technology Company, LP
• Inventors: Mason, Steven M., Johnson, William B., Aghajanian, Michael K., White, Danny R., Claar, Terry D., Pochopien, Kevin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): GROUP, KARL E
• Application Number:
  US08/004,889
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 501/96, 501/87, 501/93, 419/12, 419/14, 428/545
• US Class Current: 501/87
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3821 Boron carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/401 Alkaline earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/402 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/404 Refractory metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/421 Boron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/424 Carbon black
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/428 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5436 micrometer sized, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5463 Particle size distributions
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6562 Heating rate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6581 Total pressure below 1 atmosphere, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6582 Hydrogen containing atmosphere
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6586 Processes characterised by the flow of gas
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6587 Influencing the atmosphere by vaporising a solid material, e.g. by using a burying of sacrificial powder
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/80 Phases present in the sintered or melt-cast ceramic products other than the main phase
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/96 Properties of ceramic products, e.g. mechanical properties such as strength, toughness, wear resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/56 based on carbides or oxycarbides containing free metal binder C22C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/5607 based on refractory metal carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/5611 : based on titanium carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/5622 : based on zirconium or hafnium carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/5805 : based on borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/58064 : based on refractory borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/58071 : based on titanium borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/58078 : based on zirconium or hafnium borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/65 : Reaction sintering of free metal- or free silicon-containing compositions C04B35/573, C04B35/591 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/652 : Directional oxidation or solidification, e.g. Lanxide process
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/653 : Processes involving a melting step
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/5062 : Borides, Nitrides or Silicides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/507 : Borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/87 : Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 29/00 : Alloys based on carbides, oxides, nitrides, borides, or silicides, e.g. cermets, or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides, sulfides C22C26/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12007 : Component of composite having metal continuous phase interengaged with nonmetal continuous phase

Abstract

Self-supporting bodies are produced by reactive infiltration of a parent metal into a boron carbide material which may contain one or both of a boron donor material and a carbon donor material. The reactive infiltration typically results in a composite comprising a boron-containing compound, a carbon-containing compound and residual metal, if desired. The mass to be infiltrated may contain one or more inert fillers admixed with the boron carbide material, boron-containing compound and/or carbon-containing compound. The relative amounts of reactants and process conditions may be altered or controlled to yield a body containing varying volume percents of ceramic, metal, ratios of one ceramic to another and porosity.

Claims

1. A self-supporting composite body comprising at least one inert filler, at lest one metal phase selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, tantalum, vanadium, chromium, aluminum, niobium, silicon, lanthanum, iron, calcium, magnesium and beryllium, and a three-dimensionally interconnected ceramic phase extending to the boundaries of said composite body, said ceramic phase comprising at least one carbide corresponding to said at least one metal phase, and said composite body further comprising a boride of the at least one metal corresponding to said carbide.

2. The self-supporting composite body of claim 1, wherein said filler comprises at least one filler selected from the group consisting of fibers, whiskers, particulates, powders, rods, wires, wire cloth, refractory cloth, reticulated foam, plates, platelets, solid spheres, and hollow spheres.

3. The self-supporting composite body of claim 1, wherein said at least one metal phase comprises a titanium/zirconium alloy.

4. The self-supporting composite body of claim 1, wherein the volume ratio of said carbide to said boride is about 1.

5. The self-supporting composite body of claim 1, wherein said at least one inert filler comprises at least one material selected from alumina and carbon with a protective precoat.