Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: An oven for assisting in conductive joint formation related to a workpiece is provided. The oven includes (a) a chamber, the chamber being at least partially defined by (i) an oven plate and (ii) a cover; (b) a material handling system for moving the workpiece through the oven in connection with a conductive joint formation process; and (c) at least one vacuum chamber within the chamber. The oven provides a stepped temperature profile including a plurality of temperature zones along the oven plate.

Abstract: A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

Abstract: A thermal process device for heat treating a product or plurality of products includes a thermal processing chamber having opposed distal ends and at least one controllable heating zone. At least one buffer zone disposed is at each of the distal ends, the buffer zones and at least one heating zone of the thermal processing chamber forming a heating element assembly having an inner and outer surface. At least one layer of insulating material is disposed along the at least one buffer and heating zones of the thermal processing chamber and forming part of the heating element assembly, the at least one layer of insulating material having a controlled efficiency being applied non-uniformly across an axial length of the heating assembly.

Abstract: The invention provides a tunnel kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies which can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without producing breaks or requiring nitrogen gas. The tunnel kiln includes a preheating zone 1, a firing zone 2, and a cooling zone 3 and fires the ceramic porous bodies loaded on a carriage 7 by driving it in a furnace. A heat storage regenerative burner 10 is used as means of heating the firing zone 2 so that low-oxygen-concentration exhaust gas discharged from the heat storage regenerative burner 10 may be returned to an exhaust gas return line 14 and supplied into the preheating zone 1. The exhaust gas return line 14 may be provided with a combustion device 17 that reduces the oxygen concentration by consuming oxygen contained in the exhaust gas.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb structure includes kneading titania particles, alumina particles and a binder ingredient such that raw material paste including the titania particles, alumina particles and binder ingredient is prepared, forming a body made of the raw material paste and having a honeycomb structure such that the body has the honeycomb structure having multiple through-holes extending in the longitudinal direction of the body and multiple partition portions formed between the through-holes, applying sealant composition including aluminum hydroxide particles, talc particles, kaolin particles, water and organic binder to either end of each through-hole of the body in the longitudinal direction such that the honeycomb structure of the body has each through-hole sealed at one end, and sintering the body made of the raw material paste and having the honeycomb structure sealed by the sealant composition such that a ceramic body having the honeycomb structure is formed.

Abstract: Manufacture of ceramic honeycomb fired body. Green molded body is placed on a firing base and fired. The firing base and green molded body are each a column containing a ceramic raw material and having a partition wall forming a plurality of flow paths, and patterns of end surfaces of the two partition walls are the same as each other as seen from an extending direction of the flow paths. The green molded body is placed on the firing base displaced in a horizontal direction by a predetermined distance, or rotated around a vertical axis V of the green molded body by a predetermined angle ?, so that only a part of the lower side end surface of the partition wall of the green molded body is in contact with the upper side end surface of the partition wall of the firing base.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method that can improve the sintering ability of calcium sulfate. The material can be used as a bio-material. This method is prepared by pre-mixing +1 and/or +2 and/or +3 and/or +4 and/or +5 valence element and/or its chemical compounds which serves as a sintering additive to calcium sulfate. During sintering, the sintering additive may form a compound and/or a glass and/or a glass-ceramic to assist the densification of the calcium sulfate. The strength and biocompatibility of the specimen after sintering are satisfactory.

Abstract: Provided is a method for making a ceramic clay brick using waste battery powder. Valuables of the waste batteries are separated through a crushing, pyrolysis, pulverizing, and magnetic separation processes. The remaining waste battery powder is processed in order to utilize the remaining waste battery powder as a colorant in a brick making process. Clay powder is added to the processed waste battery powder to make a black-colored, dark red-colored, or dark brown-colored brick according to its contents. According to the present invention, since the waste battery powder mainly including manganese and zinc can be processed into the colorant and mixed with the clay powder to make the black-colored, dark red-colored, or dark brown-colored brick according to its contents, purchase costs MnO2 used as the colorant during the making process of the ceramic brick can be remarkably reduced. In addition, superior bricks can be made at low cost.

Abstract: A method for producing a sintered body includes: a) molding a composition containing a powder primarily made of an inorganic material and a binder including an aliphatic carbonic acid ester based resin in a predetermined shape so as to obtain a compact; b) exposing the compact to a first atmosphere containing an alkaline gas and thus decomposing and removing the aliphatic carbonic acid ester based resin from the compact so as to obtain a degreased body; and c) sintering the degreased body so as to obtain a sintered body.

Abstract: Method of fabricating RBSN parts in which the processing of compacts of silicon to produce reaction bonded silicon nitride products is accomplished in a continuous style furnace. The furnace of the preferred embodiment is arranged as a contiguous series of furnace sections or zones configured to have a part conveyor traveling slowly from one end to another to sequentially expose the parts to each zone. Each zone may for example be one foot long. The conveyor then travels at a rate of one foot per hour. Parts to be nitrided are settered onto kiln furniture plates while providing a minimum one-quarter inch clearance to all other parts. The parts on the plates are conveyed through the sequential temperature zones in a continuous fashion while under ambient pressure flowing nitrogen gas. The parts travel through the contiguous temperature zones at a constant rate of conveyance allowing the nitriding reaction to progress to completion.

Abstract: Composite membranes comprising at least one porous substrate layer and at least one microporous separation layer, comprising at least one zeolite of the MFI type, are described, the separation layer being produced by a hydrothermal synthesis in which the molar ratio of silicon to aluminum is greater than 120 and the separation layer contains less than 10% by weight of aluminum in elemental or chemically bound form in a zone of at least 100 nm adjacent to the separation layer.

Abstract: Hot products of combustion are provided beside an outer surface of a load to be heated, and are given a non-uniform temperature profile in a control direction extending across the outer surface of the load. The non-uniform temperature profile of the hot products of combustion is varied within a range that is predetermined relative to the distance that the outer surface of the load extends in the control direction, whereby the load can be given a predetermined temperature profile in the control direction.

Abstract: Methods for producing substantially round, spherical and sintered particles from a slurry of a calcined, uncalcined or partially calcined raw material having an alumina content of more than 55% by weight, and a mullite growth promoter in an amount of from about 2 to about 10% dry weight of the total solids in the slurry. Methods for using such substantially round, spherical and sintered particles in hydraulic fracturing operations.

Abstract: A method for reducing the loss of magnesium during the sintering of aluminum oxide articles, such as ceramic discharge vessels for lighting applications. Magnesium oxide is added to aluminum oxide articles to control grain growth during sintering, but the sintering causes magnesium loss from the article. In order to address this problem, one or more aluminum oxide articles that are enriched in magnesium oxide are added to the sintering furnace to stem the loss of magnesium oxide in the remaining articles. The enriched aluminum oxide article is made by soaking a porous aluminum oxide article in an aqueous solution of magnesium nitrate and heating the porous article to convert the magnesium nitrate to magnesium oxide. The enriched articles may then be added in one or several locations to the sintering furnace, where the magnesium from the enriched articles is released to suppress the magnesium loss.

Abstract: A chemical reactor and a method for arranging a ceramic barrier in a gasifying reactor, which reactor is arranged to convert high energy organic waste of black liquor type with a large amount of organic or inorganic alkali metal compounds, by high temperature oxidation with air or oxygen, whereby the organic waste is converted to a hot reducing gas containing a considerable amount of water vapour and the inorganic compounds form an alkali-containing salt melt at a temperature of 750-1150° C.

Abstract: A composition containing from 88 to 99.99% by weight of a polyamide, a compound of a polyamide and mixtures of these, and from 0.01 to 0.25% by weight of a flow aid where the drying loss from the flow aid after 5 days of conditioning at a relative humidity of 95% is less than or equal to 1%, determined by ISO 787/2.

Abstract: A process for the production of a shaped article from a lightweight-aggregate granulate and an inorganic binder has the following process steps:

Abstract: A novel process for manufacturing fully vitrified flat extruded ceramic glazed, unglazed tiles and profiles includes the following steps: mixing of raw materials in predetermined ratios; wet milling in ball mills; mechanical filter pressing to get cakes; shredding of cake to obtain noodles like structure; using a de-airing pug mill machine to produce proper mixing by removing of air the body; drawing a column of clay body through a die for required shapes; drying in three layer horizontal drier and chamber drier; coloring in a appropriate glazing line; firing in a appropriate roller kiln; sorting line; packing and palletizing machine; and using a sawing and glueing machine for smaller size tiles to make patterns and for border tiles. The invention also includes a system for carrying out the invented process so as to achieve high quality fully vitrified ceramic tiles and profiles.

Abstract: There are provided a porous honeycomb structure body capable of satisfying a pressure loss and isostatic strength which are mutually contradictory properties simultaneously and a method for manufacturing the same. In a porous honeycomb structure body having partition walls which contain cordierite as a primary crystal phase and have a porosity of 40 to 75% and an average pore diameter of 10 to 50 &mgr;m, porosity and an average pore diameter in a center portion of the structure body are made larger than porosity and an average pore diameter in a peripheral portion of the structure body.

Abstract: The present invention provides a carbon heating element having an arbitrary specific resistance and an arbitrary shape which are arbitrary necessary as a heating element, and a method of producing the same. The carbon heating element is obtained by uniformly dispersing one or at least two metal or metalloid compounds into a composition having shapability and showing a high yield of a carbon residue after firing, shaping the dispersed material-containing mixture thus obtained, and firing the shaped material under a nonoxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A tunnel kiln useful for burning vertically perforated green bricks, includes a furnace chamber; a plurality of tubular burners for heating the furnace chamber, with the burners defined by longitudinal axes which extend essentially in a vertical direction; and a transport device for so transporting green bricks in raster-like spaced-apart relationship in a travel direction through the furnace chamber that the perforations of the green bricks are oriented in a common direction. Each of the burners has a nozzle body formed with orifices for combustion gases, with the orifices defined by longitudinal axes which extend substantially in a direction of the perforations, wherein the nozzle body is positioned within a spacing between confronting end faces of neighboring green bricks.

Abstract: A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprises dielectric ceramic layers and conductive layers, the dielectric ceramic layers including core-shell structured ceramic particles. The ceramic particles disposed nearer to the conductive layers have shell portions having thickness larger than those of the ceramic particles disposed farther from the conductive layers.

Abstract: A continuous process for the manufacture of a ceramic sintered compact wherein the process comprises the steps of: forming a green compact from a powder mixture comprising a first component comprising compounds which contain elements of silicon, aluminum, oxygen and nitrogen; and the powder mixture further comprising a second component comprising a compound of at least one element selected from the group consisting of yttrium, scandium, cerium, lanthanum and the metals of the lanthanide series, and the second component comprising between 0.1 and 10 weight percent of the powder mixture; heat treating the green compact wherein the heat treatment comprises continuously passing the green compact through at least one heating zone so as to produce a sintered compact.

Abstract: A method of firing a green cordierite-ceramic honeycomb structural body containing a carbonaceous material, for example, an organic binder, comprising a two phase process. The first phase comprises firing the green honeycomb structural body in a firing atmosphere to a temperature and for a time sufficient to initiate and sufficiently achieve release of the carbonaceous material while introducing into the firing atmosphere a fluorine-free low-oxygen gas comprising less than about 20% O2, by volume. Once the carbonaceous material is sufficiently released, the second phase involves conventionally firing the green body for a time and a temperature sufficient to initiate and sufficiently achieve the conversion of the green ceramic honeycomb structural body into a fired honeycomb body.

Abstract: An alumina-based porous support with uniform physical properties is obtained in a rapid sintering process. An alumina raw material including a raw alumina powder and an inorganic binder is molded into an article, and the article is then sintered for 5 to 8 hours at 1520 to 1560.degree. C. using a roller hearth kiln.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for sintering finely divided material, containing manganese compounds with a particle size less than 6 mm and a high degree of oxidation, by means of some carbon-bearing material in a conveyor-type sintering apparatus (9) in an essentially continuous operation. According to the invention, through the material (8) to be sintered in the sintering apparatus (9), there is conducted hot gas (15, 18), which causes combustion reactions between the manganese compounds contained in the material and having a high degree of oxidation and the carbon contained in the burning material. Thus the sintering (18) is carried out essentially by means of the combustion heat released from the material (8). Moreover, the sintered material (8) is subjected to cooling (17) prior to removing the material from the sintering apparatus (9).

Abstract: A tunnel kiln for firing ceramic honeycomb structural body comprising a vestibule region, a carbonaceous material release region located downstream of the vestibule region and a sintering region located downstream of the carbonaceous material release region and having a multiplicity of kiln cars adapted to convey materials to be fired through the kiln. A gas distribution system is provided which includes a series of conduits each which operatively communicates with an injection site which operatively communicates with the interior of the release region for introducing a gas into the carbonaceous release region. The injection sites include a combustion burner located site, a vestibule located site, an undercar located site, a rooftop located site, and a sidewall located site or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A single furnace loading cycle method for sintering at least one product comprises placing at least one product into a ventable/sealable box, and placing the box within the furnace. The box is vented inside the furnace at a first temperature range and the product is sealed inside the box in a second temperature range, wherein the second temperature range is higher than the first temperature range. The box includes a closeable top cover and a control means that comprises a first set of collapsible spacers which hold open the cover at temperatures below the first temperature range and collapse to lower the cover into sealing engagement with the box at temperatures above the first temperature range. The box further comprises a substrate to be sintered with a lower and an upper setter on opposite sides of the substrate.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a lightweight foamed ceramic body from components comprising: (a) at least one expandable volcanic mineral; (b) at least one alkaline earth metal oxide, hydroxide, or carbonate, (c) at least one inorganic binder and (d) a foaming stabilizer, the method comprising: (1) sintering and expanding a mixture of components (a) to (d); (2) mixing the sintered and expanded material with water; (3) grinding the mixture of sintered and expanded material with water to form a ground mixture; (4) drying said ground mixture to form a dried mixture; (5) crushing said dried mixture to form a fine powder; (6) shaping said powder into a desired form to form a powder form; and (7) sintering said powder form. The ceramic material is preferably manufactured in a tunnel-type kiln. The resulting foamed ceramic is not only light in weight, but excellent in insulating properties due to its discrete cell of closed cellular structure. The foamed ceramic is useful in structural and building materials.