Method for the precision production of infiltrated articles

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A PRECISION INFILTRATED BODY WHICH COMPRISES PRODUCING A PRECISION INFILTRATED TON BODY OF A HIGH MELTING POINT REFRACTORY MATERIAL, SUPPORTING THE SURFACE OF SAID POROUS BODY AGAINST A THIN YIELDABLE INTERFACE OF A GRAVIMETRICALLY PACKED SUBSTANTIALLY INERT CERAMIC POWDER OF HIGH MELTING POINT BACKED UP BY A RIGID MOLD SURFACE OF HEAT CONDUCTIVITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.01 CAL./CM.2/CM./*C./SEC., THE THICKNESS OF THE THIN YIELDABLE GRAVIMETRICALLY PACKED INTERFACE BEING SO PROPORTIONED RELATIVE TO THE CONFIGURATION OF THE SKELETON THAT ABOUT AN INFILTRATING END PORTION OF THE SKELETON WHERE THE INFILTRANT METAL PREDOMINATES THE THICKNESS OF THE THIN INTERFACE IS GREATER THAN THE INTERFACIAL THICKNESS ADJACENT THE SKELETON SURFACE AWAY FROM SAID INFILTRATING END PORTION, RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SKELETON UNIFORMLY TO AT LEAST THE DESIRED INFLTRATION TEMPERATURE, INFILTRATING SAID UNIFORMLY HEATED SKELETON FROM ONE END WITH A MOLTEN MATRIX-FORMING METAL UNTIL THE SKELTON IS COMPELETELY INFILTRATED AND THEN COOLING SAID INFILTRATED BODY FROM THE END OPPOSITE THE INFILTRATING END, THE INFILTRATING END PORTION BEING THE LAST TO COOL AND SOLIDIFY.