Method for manufacturing a composite material

• US 6,403,210 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nu Skin International Incorporated (Nu Skin Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Carton, Erik Peter, Maas, Amanda Margaretha, Stuivinga, Marianne Euphemia Corry
• Primary Examiner(s): Copenheaver, Blaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, HAI
• Application Number:
  US09/422,493
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 419/6, 419/8, 419/27, 419/38, 419/63, 428/307.3, 428/307.7, 428/313.9, 428/131
• US Class Current: 428/307.7
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/08 by explosive forces generating shock waves in general G10K15/043
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/645 Pressure sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/1068 Making hard metals based on borides, carbides, nitrides, oxides or silicides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249956 Void-containing component is inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249957 Inorganic impregnant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249974 Metal- or silicon-containing element

Abstract

The invention relates to a composite material, manufactured by dynamic densification of an amount of granular or powdered relatively brittle material or a mixture of one or more of such materials, wherein a continuous porous product is obtained, whereafter, by infiltration thereof with a second material, the brittle material particles are embedded in a continuous network of the second material. The invention further relates to a composite comprising ceramic particles embedded in a continuous matrix of a second material, obtainable by a method according to the invention, and to products manufactured from such composite.

Claims

1. A composite material having a microstructure of ceramic material having brittle fracture surfaces separated from each other by narrow channels, jointly forming a fine-mesh network of narrow channels, which channels are filled with a second material, which forms a continuous matrix, wherein the microstructure comprises substantially no closed porosity.

2. A composite material according to claim 1, wherein the channels have an average diameter ranging from 100 to 1000 nm.

3. A composite material according to claim 2, comprising between 95 and 50 vol. % of the ceramic material, based on the volume of the composite material.

4. The composite material according to claim 3, comprising between 90 and 70 vol. % of the ceramic material.

5. A composite material according to claim 1, wherein the microstructure of the ceramic material is obtained by shock-wave compaction.

6. An article manufactured from a composite material according to claim 1.