Abstract: Shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies are produced by preparing a mold by applying a permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of an expendable pattern. The permeable, conformable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the material of the expendable pattern combusts or volatilizes and thus establishes the shaped cavity mold. A molten parent metal is then vaporized with a vapor-phase oxidant in such a manner as to form a ceramic body which grows into the mold cavity, and is shaped by it. The ceramic body is recovered from the mold having a shaped surface replicating the shape-defining surface of the expendable pattern.

Abstract: A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of an expendable pattern. The permeable, conformable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the material of the expendable pattern combusts or volatilizes and thus establishes the shaped cavity mold. A molten parent metal is then vaporized with a vapor-phase oxidant in such a manner as to form a ceramic body which grows into the mold cavity, and is shaped by it. The ceramic body is recovered from the mold having a shaped surface replicating the shape-defining surface of the expandable pattern.

Abstract: A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of an expendable pattern. The permeable, conformable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the material of the expendable pattern combusts or volatilizes and thus establishes the shaped cavity mold. A molten parent metal is then vaporized with a vapor-phase oxidant in such a manner as to form a ceramic body which grows into the mold cavity, and is shaped by it. The ceramic body is recovered from the mold having a shaped surface replicating the shape-defining surface of the expendable pattern.

Abstract: A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a gas-permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of a shaped parent metal. The gas-permeable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the parent metal melts and flows from the mold into a receptacle without disturbing the mold. Oxidation reaction product is then grown by oxidation of the molten parent metal with a vapor-phase oxidant to form an oxidation reaction product which grows into the mold cavity and is shaped by it. A ceramic body is recovered from the mold and has substantially the same shape as the pattern section of the original shaped parent metal.

Abstract: A heat storage medium comprising a body of parent metal and an intrinsically cohesive ceramic layer formed integrally with the metal body and encapsulating said metal body is produced by the directed oxidation of a body of parent metal outwardly from the surface of said body to form integrally with the body of parent metal a layer of oxidation reaction product which encapsulates unreacted parent metal and forms a cavity resulting from the depletion of aprent metal.

Abstract: A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a gas-permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of a shaped parent metal. The gas-permeable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the parent metal melts and flows from the mold into a receptacle without disturbing the mold. Oxidation reaction product is then grown by oxidation of the molten parent metal with a vapor-phase oxidant to form an oxidation reaction produce which grows into the mold cavity and is shaped by it. A ceramic body is recovered from the mold and has substantially the same shape as the pattern section of the original shaped parent metal.

Abstract: A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a permeable, conformable material to a shape-defining surface of an expendable pattern. The permeable, conformable material, when set or stable, provides a mold with a shaped surface which is defined by, and is therefore substantially congruent to, the shape-defining surface. Upon heating, the material of the expendable pattern combusts or volatilizes and thus establishes the shaped cavity mold. A molten parent metal is then oxidized with a vapor-phase oxidant in such a manner as to form a ceramic body which grows into the mold cavity, and is shaped by it. The ceramic body is recovered from the mold having a shaped surface replicating the shape-defining surface of the expendable pattern.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of producing a self-supporting ceramic composite body having therein at least one cavity which inversely replicates the geometry of an expendable pattern. The method includes the steps of surrounding the expendable pattern with a filler material to thereby form a filled cavity within the filler material. The expendable pattern is chemically or physically removed from the filler material and a quantity of a parent metal is put into the cavity. The parent metal is heated to a temperature above its melting point and an oxidation reaction process begins whereby the oxidation reaction product infiltrates and embeds the surrounding filler material. Excess filler material and/or excess parent metal are removed, thus resulting in a self-supporting ceramic composite body having a cavity in the shape of the expendable pattern.