摘要 |
<p>A method of producing shaped, self-supporting ceramic bodies includes preparing a mold by applying a gas-permeable, conformable material (20) to a shape-defining surface of a shaped parent metal (10). The gas-permeable material (20), 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 (10) 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 (12,14,18) of the original shaped parent metal (10).</p> |