An embodiment of a PCD insert comprises an embodiment of a PCD element joined to a cemented carbide substrate at an interface. The PCD element has internal diamond surfaces defining interstices between them. The PCD element comprises a masked or passivated region and an unmasked or unpassivated region, the unmasked or unpassivated region defining a boundary with the substrate, the boundary being the interface. At least some of the internal diamond surfaces of the masked or passivated region contact a mask or passivation medium, and some or all of the interstices of the masked or passivated region and of the unmasked or unpassivated region are at least partially filled with an infiltrant material.

An embodiment of a PCD insert comprises an embodiment of a PCD element joined to a cemented carbide substrate at an interface. The PCD element has internal diamond surfaces defining interstices between them. The PCD element comprises a masked or passivated region and an unmasked or unpassivated region, the unmasked or unpassivated region defining a boundary with the substrate, the boundary being the interface. At least some of the internal diamond surfaces of the masked or passivated region contact a mask or passivation medium, and some or all of the interstices of the masked or passivated region and of the unmasked or unpassivated region are at least partially filled with an infiltrant material.

A particulate filter and method of manufacture. The particulate filter comprises a ceramic honeycomb body comprising a plurality of intersecting walls that define a plurality of channels extending longitudinally though the ceramic honeycomb body. The intersecting walls comprise a porous ceramic material having a microstructure that comprises an interconnected network of porous spheroidal ceramic beads. The microstructure has a total porosity defined as the sum of an open intrabead porosity of the beads and an interbead porosity defined by interstices between the beads in the interconnected network. The microstructure has a bimodal pore size distribution in which an intrabead median pore size of the intrabead porosity is from 1.5 μm to 4 μm and an interbead median pore size of the interbead porosity is from 6 μm to 20 μm.

A ceramic porous body including: skeleton portions including an aggregate and at least one bonding material; and pore portions formed between the skeleton portions, the pore portions being capable of allowing a fluid to flow therethrough, wherein the pore portions have a pore volume ratio of pores having a pore diameter of from 10 to 15 μm, of from 4 to 17%.

A particulate filter having a porous ceramic honeycomb structure with a first end, a second end, and a plurality of walls having wall surfaces defining a plurality of inner channels. Filtration material deposits are disposed on one or more of the wall surfaces of the honeycomb body. The highly porous deposits provide durable high clean filtration efficiency with small impact on pressure drop through the filter.

A manufacturing method of a honeycomb structure including: a dry mixing step of dry-mixing raw materials to form the honeycomb structure by a batch treatment, a wet mixing step of adding a liquid including at least one selected from the group consisting of water, a surfactant, a lubricant and a plasticizer to a dry mixture obtained in the dry mixing step, to perform wet mixing, a kneading step of kneading a wet mixture obtained in the wet mixing step, and a forming step of extruding a forming material prepared in the kneading step, wherein in the dry mixing step, a used forming material passed through the forming step is added as a part of the raw material, to perform dry mixing, and the kneading step includes a liquid re-adding step of further adding the liquid in a process of kneading the wet mixture.

A porous refractory cast material contains a closed refractory aggregate fraction having a minimum particle size and a maximum particle size; the ratio of maximum particle size to minimum particle size is 10:1 or less. This closed refractory aggregate fraction comprises all of the porous refractory cast material having a particle diameter greater than 0.1 mm. The porous refractory cast material also contains a binder phase containing refractory selected from calcium aluminate cement, alumina phosphate, hydratable alumina, colloidal silica and combinations thereof. Also disclosed is a metallurgical vessel with an interior lining incorporating the porous refractory cast material.

A porous refractory cast material contains a closed refractory aggregate fraction having a minimum particle size and a maximum particle size; the ratio of maximum particle size to minimum particle size is 10:1 or less. This closed refractory aggregate fraction comprises all of the porous refractory cast material having a particle diameter greater than 0.1 mm. The porous refractory cast material also contains a binder phase containing refractory selected from calcium aluminate cement, alumina phosphate, hydratable alumina, colloidal silica and combinations thereof. Also disclosed is a metallurgical vessel with an interior lining incorporating the porous refractory cast material.

A mould for manufacturing a packing member from a liquid ceramic composition. The mould including a first part and a second part, in which the first and/or second mould parts are resiliently deformable and the first part and/or the second part include a plurality of open mould cavities. The first and second parts are operable to engage to form closed mould cavities, and the mould is operable to be moved from an open position in which the first and second parts are partially spaced by the deformation of a mould part and in which position mould cavities are open, to a partially closed position by reducing the deformation of the mould part and in which position some of the mould cavities are closed, and then to a closed position by further reducing the deformation of the mould part and in which position the first and second parts are engaged such that the mould cavities are closed.

A mould for manufacturing a packing member from a liquid ceramic composition. The mould including a first part and a second part, in which the first and/or second mould parts are resiliently deformable and the first part and/or the second part include a plurality of open mould cavities. The first and second parts are operable to engage to form closed mould cavities, and the mould is operable to be moved from an open position in which the first and second parts are partially spaced by the deformation of a mould part and in which position mould cavities are open, to a partially closed position by reducing the deformation of the mould part and in which position some of the mould cavities are closed, and then to a closed position by further reducing the deformation of the mould part and in which position the first and second parts are engaged such that the mould cavities are closed.