A 3D printer creates a ceramic casting shell of high accuracy. Casting molten metal into this shell creates an accurate metal object. The ceramic shell is formed from a paste made from a low hardness ceramic, dried by freeze drying. To overcome the shear thinning behaviour of ceramic pastes a positive displacement pump is in close proximity to the nozzle.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.

The present disclosure relates to a composite of sintered mullite reinforced corundum granules and a method for its preparation. The composite comprises mullite and corundum in an interlocking microstructure. The process for preparing the composite involves the steps of admixing the raw materials followed by sintering to obtain the composite comprising sintered mullite reinforced corundum granules.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clayey soil comprising expansive clay mineral(s) at a proportion of the total weight of the expansive clayey soil (P.sub.ECM). The method includes (a) calculating a first amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clayey soil to form a first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil with a reduced swell potential no greater than a pre-set level T with a nano-level constitutive modeling based on the water content and the CEC of the expansive clayey soil and P.sub.ECM. The swelling reduction agent is at least one selected from calcite, gypsum, potassium chloride, a composition comprising exchangeable K.sup.+, a composition comprising exchangeable Ca.sup.2+, and/or a composition comprising exchangeable Mg.sup.2+, and (b) incorporating the first amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clayey soil to form the first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clayey soil comprising expansive clay mineral(s) at a proportion of the total weight of the expansive clayey soil (P.sub.ECM). The method includes (a) calculating a first amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clayey soil to form a first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil with a reduced swell potential no greater than a pre-set level T with a nano-level constitutive modeling based on the water content and the CEC of the expansive clayey soil and P.sub.ECM. The swelling reduction agent is at least one selected from calcite, gypsum, potassium chloride, a composition comprising exchangeable K.sup.+, a composition comprising exchangeable Ca.sup.2+, and/or a composition comprising exchangeable Mg.sup.2+, and (b) incorporating the first amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clayey soil to form the first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.