초록 ▼

A fibrous ceramic mat is molded from a slurry of ceramic fibers and/or ceramic microparticles and/or a metal. The mat is impregnated with a sol prior to drying. A catalyst for the sol is introduced into the mat to cause the sol to gel. The sol-gel binder forms bonds so that the mat is dimensionally

A fibrous ceramic mat is molded from a slurry of ceramic fibers and/or ceramic microparticles and/or a metal. The mat is impregnated with a sol prior to drying. A catalyst for the sol is introduced into the mat to cause the sol to gel. The sol-gel binder forms bonds so that the mat is dimensionally stabilized. The mat is dried to produce the desired ceramic insulation that has preferably a consistent microstructure and a fully gelled sol-gel binder through its entire thickness. When a metal is used, it corrodes (i.e., oxidizes) or otherwise reacts to form a refractory binder that augments the sol and reduces the need to infuse sol incrementally to achieve strength. Using metal powder significantly reduces the cost of manufacture.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] A slurry having solids carried in a fluid for use in a process for forming ceramic insulation by separating the solids from the fluid in a felting operation to form a mat, comprising:(a) a carrier fluid;(b) optionally, ceramic fibers in an amount sufficient for adjusting the geomet

[ We claim:] [1.] A slurry having solids carried in a fluid for use in a process for forming ceramic insulation by separating the solids from the fluid in a felting operation to form a mat, comprising:(a) a carrier fluid;(b) optionally, ceramic fibers in an amount sufficient for adjusting the geometry and packing density of the ceramic insulation to control the mechanical strength, density, thermal conductivity and filtration characteristics;(c) an amount of ceramic microparticles sufficient to increase the mechanical strength and improve the isotropic properties of the ceramic insulation;(d) 5-100 parts by volume of a dispersant per million of the slurry to loosen agglomerates so that the slurry has a consistent composition throughout;(e) 5-100 parts by volume of a flocculant per million of the slurry to reduce settling and filtering problems;(f) 5-50 wt % based on the combined weight of the ceramic fibers and ceramic microparticles, of a metal being pure metal, intermetallic or alloy powders of aluminum, aluminum/magnesium, aluminum/silicon, aluminum/yttrium, yttrium, cerium, silicon, tantalum or mixtures thereof, the metal being present in a binding amount for conversion in situ to a refractory binder; and(g) optionally, an amount of fugitive microballoons to introduce fine porosity in the ceramic insulation.