Refractory articles and method of making

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING REFRACTORY CARBON ARTICLES IN WHICH THE MAIN CARBON BODY THEREOF IS PROTECTED BY AN INTEGRAL SURFACE LAYER COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OF CRYSTALLINE SILICON CARBIDE AND INTERSTITIAL SILICON, THE SILICON CARBIDE BEING OF RETICULAR STRUCTURE AND HAVING AN X-RAY PATTERN CHARACTERISTIC OF A CUBIC MATERIAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING FORMING A MIXTURE COMPRISING AN ACID AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING GROUP: FURFURAL, FURFURYL ALCOHOL, AND A MIXTURE OF FURFURAL AND FURFURYL ALCOHOL, ALLOWING THE FURFURAL COMPOUND AND ACID TO REACT IN A MOLD OF THE DESIRED SHAPE TO FORM A DENSE BODY COMPOSED PREDOMINANTLY OF CARBON, REMOVING SAID CARBON BODY FROM THE MOLD, DRYING IT, AND EXPOSING SAID CARBON BODY TO SILICON VAPORS AT A TEMPERATURE IN EXCESS OF 1800* C. TO CAUSE THE SILICON VAPORS TO REACT WITH THE SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID CARBON BODY AND CONVERT THE CARBON THEREOF TO A UNIFORM LIMITED DEPTH TO CRYSTALLINE SILICON CARBIDE OF RETICULATED STRUCTURE HAVING THE INTERSTICES THEREOF FILLED WITH SILICON-RICH MATERIAL.