Ceramic materials and methods for their manufacture

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE RESISTANT MATERIALS, SAID PROCESSX BEING OF THE TYPE EMPLOYING A UNIFORM FINELY-DIVIDED PARTICLE MIXTURE INCLUDING A FIRST FILLER COMPONENT, A METALLIC SECOND COMPONENT, AND A THIRD COMPONENT WHICH IS REACTABLE WITH THE SECOND COMPONENT AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A SELF-SUSTAINING EXOTHERMIC REACTION TO FORM A CERAMIC REFRACTORY BODY AND WHICH MIXTURE CONTAINS BY WEIGHT UP TO ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF SAID FIRST COMPONENT, ABOUT 10 PERCENT TO 40 PERCENT OF SAID SECOND COMPONENT, AND AN AMOUNT OF SAID THIRD COMPONENT TO REACT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID SECOND COMPONENT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: APPLYING A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT ONE TON PER SQUARE INCH TO THE PARTICLE MIXTURE; PASSING ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH THE MIXTURE WHILE BEING COMPRESSED TO HEAT THE MIXTURE TO THE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SAID EXOTHERMIC REACTION WILL OCCUR; CONTINUING SAID ELECTRIC CURRENT PASSAGE DURING SAID EXOTHERMIC REACTION WHILE THE MIXTURE IS BEING COMPRESSED, WITH THE HEATING AND REACTION BEING CARRIED OUT WITHOUT INTERRUPTION AND WITH CONTINUOUS APPLICATION OF PRESSURE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT; AND FINALLY EFFECTING COOLING OF THE RESULTING INTEGRATED PRODUCT.