Impact-resistant ceramics from synthetic fluoramphiboles and processes of making same

Claim 1

A CERAMIC ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF INTERMESHING FINE ACICULAR FLUORAMPHIBOLE CRYSTALS HAVING THE FORMULA WO-1*X2*Y5*(Z4O11)2*F2 WHEREIN W IS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF NA+ AND LI+ AND MIXTURES THEREOF, X IS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF NA+, CA++, MN++, MG++, CD++, AND SR++ AND MIXTURES, THEREOF, Y IS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING MG++ AND MIXTURES OF MG++ WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AL+++, CO++, CU++, FE++, FE+++, LI+, MN++, AND NI++, Z IS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SI++++ AND MIXTURES OF SI++++ WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AL+++ AND B+++, SAID ARTICLE BEING PREPARED BY HOT-PRESSING UNDER ELEVATED PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE A COMPOSITION SELECTED FROM THE P GROUP CONSISTING OF SINTERED FLUORAMPHIBOLE OF THE ABOVE FORMULA, AND PRECURSOR UNREACTED INGEADIENTS THEREOF CONSISTING OF PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES OF SILICA AND COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FLUORIDES, SILICOFLUORIDES, OXIDES AND COMPOUNDS CONVERTIBLE TO OXIDES UNDER CALCINING CONDITIONS, OF THE SAID ELEMENTS W, X, Y, AND Z, TO FORM A DENSE, NON-POROUS, HIGH IMPACT STRENGTH PRODUCT HAVING THE SAID FORMULA.