Method for localized heating and isostatically pressing of glass encapsulated materials

Claim 1

A method for consolidating or densifying material sample selected from metal, ceramic or mixtures thereof to form a densified compact article, which process comprises: (a) arranging the material sample to be consolidated or densified in a general configuration completely surrounded by a pre-glass material which forms a fluid glass at elevated temperature in close proximity and surrounded about at least one diameter, by an electrical heating element means within the pre-glass material and having at lest one temperature measuring device in close proximity to the material sample producing an arrangement all within a shell, wherein said arrangement and shell are in a pressure chamber apparatus having external heating and cooling means and vacuum means; (b) externally heating the arrangement and shell produced in step (a) at a temperature of between about 200° and 850° C. at a reduced pressure of between about 1 and 0.0001 mm of mercury for a time effective to remove volatiles, and to produce a dried material sample; (c) heating the dried material sample produced in step (b) to produce fusion of the pre-glass at between about 500° C. to 1600° C. and encapsulation of the sample and encapsulation of the electrical heating element means, and optionally encapsulating the at least one temperature measuring device to produce an encapsulated prearticle having local encapsulated electrical heating element means; (d) heating the encapsulated prearticle produced in step (c) in the external pressure chamber apparatus, using the encapsulated heating element means, to locally heat the encapsulated prearticle and sample to a temperature of between about 700° C. and 2,200° C., monitoring the sample temperature using the at least one temperature measuring device, and simultaneously applying a pressure to the encapsulated prearticle of between about 50,000 and 275,000 psi for a time effective to densify the dried material sample, wherein the external pressure chamber has a surface temperature in contact with the encapsulated prearticle of not greater than about 500° C.; and (e) releasing the elevated pressure and decreasing the temperature of the formed densified compact article to a predetermined temperature.

Claim 2

A method for consolidating or densifying material sample selected from metal, ceramic or mixtures thereof to form a densified compact article, which process comprises: (a) arranging the material sample to be consolidated or densified in a general configuration completely surrounded by a pre-glass material which forms a fluid glass at elevated temperature in close proximity and surrounded about at least one diameter, by an electrical heating element means within the pre-glass material and having at lest one temperature measuring device in close proximity to the material sample producing an arrangement all within a shell, wherein said arrangement and shell are in a pressure chamber apparatus having external heating and cooling means and vacuum means; (b) externally heating the arrangement and shell produced in step (a) at a temperature of between about 200° and 850° C. at a reduced pressure of between about 1 and 0.0001 mm of mercury for a time effective to remove volatiles, and to produce a dried material sample; (c) heating the dried material sample produced in step (b) to produce fusion of the pre-glass at between about 500° C. to 1600° C. and encapsulation of the sample and encapsulation of the electrical heating element means, and optionally encapsulating the at least one temperature measuring device to produce an encapsulated prearticle having local encapsulated electrical heating element means; (d) heating the encapsulated prearticle produced in step (c) in the external pressure chamber apparatus, using the encapsulated heating element means, to locally heat the encapsulated prearticle and sample to a temperature of between about 700° C. and 2,200° C., monitoring the sample temperature using the at least one temperature measuring device, and simultaneously applying a pressure to the encapsulated prearticle of between about 50,000 and 275,000 psi for a time effective to densify the dried material sample, wherein the external pressure chamber has a surface temperature in contact with the encapsulated prearticle of not greater than about 500° C.; and (e) releasing the elevated pressure and decreasing the temperature of the formed densified compact article to a predetermined temperature.