Abstract: In a process for manufacturing fiber reinforced composites made or inorganic sinterable material and inorganic fibers the fibers are continuously passed through a bath which works acccording to the fluidized bed principle and which contains a solution of at least one metal alkoxide of the elements of the first to the fourth main groups of the periodic table and the forth and fifth subgroups of the periodic table, which solution already comprises products of hydrolysis and their condensation products, and the fibers moistened with the solution are wound one upon the other to form layers, the moistened and wound fibers are dried, the metal alkoxides on the fibers are completely hydrolyzed and the products of hydrolysis are polycondensated, and the layers of the fibers being adhered by the powder and the polycondensation products of the products of hydrolysis of the metal alkoxides are hot pressed.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for making a self-supporting ceramic composite article having a porous core bearing a dense surface layer formed integrally with said core. A preform comprises a filler material and parent metal distributed therethrough, wherein the volume percent of parent metal is sufficient to form a volume of oxidation reaction product exceeding the total volume available within said preform. The parent metal is melted and reacted with an oxidant to form an oxidation reaction product filling the spatial volume and leaving voids. The reaction is continued to further transport molten parent metal through the oxidation reaction product to at least one surface of the preform to form oxidation reaction product on said surface substantially free of voids thereby forming a relatively dense surface layer.