Methods of infiltrating high melting skeleton bodies

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HEAT RESISTANT ARTICLE BY THE INFILTRATION OF A POROUS SKELETON BODY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF TITANIUM CARBIDE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRIOSING PRODUCING SAID SKELETON BODY FRON TITANIUM CARNIDE CONTAINING ABOUT 1% TO 3% FREE CARBON AND SUPPORTING IT WITH A BED CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SUBSTANTIALLY MINUS 100 MESH CHEMICALLY PURE ALUMINUM OXIDE LEAVING EXPOSED AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SKELETON, CONTACTING THE EXPOSED PORTION OF THE POROUS SKELETON WITH A HIGH MELT-ING, HEAT RESISTING METAL WITH A MELTING POINT BELOW THEE MELTING POINT OF THE TITANIUM CARBIDE SKELETON, AND SUBJECTING THE THUS-SUPPORTED SKELETON TO INFILTRATION AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE LIQIDUS TEMPERATURE OF THE HEAT RESISTING INFILTRANT METAL IN A REDUCING ATMOSPHERE OF SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, WHEREBY THE FREE CARBON-CONTAINING TITANIUM CARBIDE SKELETON IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY INFILTRATED WHILE IN CONTACT WITH SAID ALUMINUM OXIDE AND WHEREBY THE ARTICLE EXHIBITS IMPROVED HIGH TEMPERATURE STREGTH PROPERTIES AS A RESULT OF EMPLOYING SAID ALUMINUM OXIDE AS THE SKELETON SUPPORT.