Method of joining molded silicon carbide parts

Claim 1

Process of joining together molded silicon carbide bodies at fitting polished surfaces with an additive bond-promoting material in the joint and with pressing and heating to high temprature, said process comprising the steps of: polishing surfaces to be joined on a plurality of silicon carbide bodies each of said bodies being made of silicon carbide sintered into a firm body, whether sintered without pressure or with hot-pressing; applying a layer, not more than 1 μm thick and covering at least one said polished surfaces of each intended joint entirely with at least a monatomic layer composed of atoms of at least one element capable of combining chemically with at least one constituent element of silicon carbide and selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, Au, Co, Cr, Cu Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ta, Ti, V, W and Zr; fitting together said polished surfaces of respective bodies parts, at least one of which has said applied layer, for each joint and then pressing said surfaces of each joint together, in the absence of any other binder or bond-promoting material in the joint, with a pressure in the range from 1 to 100 MPa while heating said parts at a temperature in the range from 800° to 2200° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere which is at a pressure in the range from 10 -1 to 10 5 Pa, whereby said bodies parts are joined and a joint seam is formed in which no metal exists as a layer extending along and between the joined surfaces that were pressed together, and cooling said joined bodies parts.