Process of producing alumina-titanium carbide ceramic body

Claim 1

In a process of making a multi-phase, substantially crystalline, sintered ceramic body, consisting essentially of (i) preparing a mixture consisting essentially of 40% to 80% by weight aluminum oxide powder and from about 20% by weight to about 60% by weight titanium carbide powder, (ii) consolidating said mixture under pressure to produce a pressed powder body; (iii) heating said body in an unconfined state to at least a sintering temperature; (iv) holding said body at sintering temperature for a period at least sufficiently long enough to achieve uniform temperature distribution throughout the body; and (v) recovering said sintered body, the improvement which consists essentially of including in said mixture a member selected from the group consisting of zirconium hydride, hafnium hydride, niobium hydride, tantalum hydride, titanium hydride, vanadium hydride and a mixture thereof, said member ranging from about 0.5% by weight to about 5% by weight of said mixture and being present in an amount sufficient to produce a sintered body having a minimum Rockwell A hardness of 91, said sintering temperature ranging from about 1650° C. to about 1950° C., said sintering being carrried out in a partial vacuum or atmosphere which has no significantly deleterious effect thereon.