Abstract: Herein disclosed is a filter medium for molten metals which consists of a sintered body of a mixture comprising 100 parts by weight of at least one refractory grain selected from the group consisting of alumina particles and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.MgO spinel crystal particles; and 5 to 25 parts by weight of an inorganic binder which comprises 60 to 90% by weight of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.MgO spinel crystal powder, 5 to 12% by weight of B.sub.2 O.sub.3, and not more than 30% by weight of at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, MgO and TiO.sub.2. The filter medium is used for filtering off solid impurities mixed in molten metals, in particular, molten aluminums.

Abstract: A filter for the filtration of molten aluminum is obtained by binding 100 parts by weight of aggregate particles with 10 to 20 parts by weight of an inorganic binding material, said aggregate particles being composed of at least one alumina selected from the group consisting of fused alumina and sintered alumina and said inorganic binding material having a raw material composition comprising 25 wt. % to 35 wt. % of SiO.sub.2, 30 to 40 wt. % of B.sub.2 O.sub.3, 20 to 35 wt. % of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and the balance being MgO. A filter according to the invention has a crystallinity of from 10% to 25% with the proviso that in the powder X-ray diffraction, the crystallinity is expressed in terms of a percentage of a peak height of 9Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 .multidot.2B.sub.2 O.sub.3 appearing at 2.theta.=16.5.degree. to a peak height of .alpha.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 appearing at 2.theta.=43.4.degree.. Needle crystals of 9Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 .multidot.2B.sub.2 O.sub.

Abstract: A high density metal-boride based ceramic sintered body consists essentially of component (A) at least one of TiB.sub.2, ZrB.sub.2, CrB.sub.2, HfB.sub.2, VB.sub.2, TaB.sub.2, NbB.sub.2, MnB.sub.2, MoB.sub.2, YB.sub.2, AlB.sub.2, MgB.sub.2, CrB, VB, TaB, NbB, MoB, HfB, YB, ZrB, HfB, TiB, MnB, W.sub.2 B.sub.5 and Mo.sub.2 B.sub.5, componet (B) 0.1 wt. %-10 wt. % based on the total amount of a metal binder comprising at least one of cobalt boride, nickel boride and iron boride, and component (C) 0.1 wt. %-10 wt. % based on the total amount of at least one of a double carbide comprising Ti, Zr, W and C, ZrCN, HfCN, or a double carbo-nitride comprising Ti, Zr, Hf and C, N.The sintered body is not easily oxidized and has extremely few pores and high shock resistance even using a fine grain raw material powder because component (C) has an oxygen removing effect during sintering.

Abstract: New ceramics have excellent mechanical properties such as high density, strength, hardness and toughness. The new ceramics are prepared by sintering a mixture prepared by adding 1 to 90 percent by weight of chromium carbide to titanium carbo-nitride together with some elements selected from the group of transition metals of groups IV, V, VI and VII, ferrous metals and semi-metals. For some types of new ceramics, boron carbide is added, too.

Abstract: A powder of at least one of TiB.sub.2, ZrB.sub.2 and HfB.sub.2 is mixed with at least one of Ti, Zr, Hf, TiB, ZrB and HfB, or with at least one of Ti, Zr, Hf, TiB, ZrB and HfB and a powder of boron, to prepare a mixed powder which can form a sintered product having a boron content of 65 to 67 atom %. Alternatively, a powder of at least one of Ti, Zr, Hf, TiB, ZrB and HfB is mixed with a powder of boron to prepare the mixed powder. The mixed powder may further contain up to a maximum of 30% by weight of a powder of AlN. Then, the mixed powder is sintered to make metal diboride ceramics. The lower-melting metal or compound which the mixed powder contains melts to form a liquid phase and enables the manufacture of a sintered product of high density by a customary sintering operation employing a low temperature. The sintered product having a boron content of 65 to 67 atom % consists solely of metal diboride crystals having a structure of the hexagonal system.