A method of fabricating a part out of composite material, includes forming a fiber texture from refractory fibers; placing the texture in a mold having an impregnation chamber including in its bottom portion a part made of porous material, the impregnation chamber being closed in its top portion by a deformable impermeable diaphragm separating the impregnation chamber from a compacting chamber; injecting a slip containing a powder of refractory particles into the impregnation chamber; injecting a compression fluid into the compacting chamber, to force the slip to pass through the texture; draining the liquid of the slip via the porous material part, while retaining the powder of refractory particles inside the texture so as to obtain a fiber preform filled with refractory particles; drying the fiber preform; unmolding the preform; and sintering the refractory particles present in the preform in order to form a refractory matrix in the preform.

A composite sintered body according to the present invention contains at least cubic boron nitride and a binder. Cubic boron nitride has a continuous skeleton structure as a result of bonding of a plurality of first cubic boron nitride particles to each other. The binder has a continuous structure as a result of bonding of a plurality of binder particles to each other, that are present in a region except for a bonding interface where the first cubic boron nitride particles are bonded to each other. Second cubic boron nitride particles isolated from the first cubic boron nitride particles forming the skeleton structure are dispersed in the continuous structure of the binder particles.

A method and apparatus for producing AlN whiskers includes reduced incorporation of metal particles, an AlN whisker body, AlN whiskers, a resin molded body, and a method for producing the resin molded body. The method for producing AlN whiskers includes heating an Al-containing material in a material accommodation unit to thereby generate Al gas; and introducing the Al gas into a reaction chamber through a communication portion while introducing nitrogen gas into the reaction chamber through a gas inlet port, to thereby grow AlN whiskers on the surface of an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 substrate placed in the reaction chamber.

Disclosed is a modified preceramic polymer having a polymer backbone consisting of silicon or a combination of silicon and carbon; and a pendant modifier bonded to the backbone wherein the modifier includes silicon, boron, aluminum, a transition metal, a refractory metal, or a combination thereof. The modified preceramic polymer can be used to form a ceramic matrix composite.

A complex proppant particle is made of a coal dust and binder composite that is pyrolyzed. Constituent portions of the composite react together causing the particles to increase in density and reduce in size during pyrolyzation, yielding a particle suitable for use as a proppant.

An armor component including a body having a first portion including calcium boride compounds include non-stoichiometric calcium boride (CaB.sub.x) and stoichiometric calcium boride (CaB.sub.6) and having a density of at least about 80% theoretical density. In one aspect, the first portion can include a first phase comprising silicon carbide (SiC) and a second phase comprising calcium boride (CaB.sub.6). In another aspect, the first portion can further include a third phase comprising boron carbide (B.sub.4C).

A method of making a carbon-carbon composite part may comprise fabricating a fibrous preform comprising a fiber volume ratio of 25% or greater, heat treating the fibrous preform at a first temperature, infiltrating the fibrous preform with a first ceramic suspension, densifying the fibrous preform by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) to form a densified fibrous preform, and heat treating the densified fibrous preform at a second temperature of 1600 C. or greater.

An unshaped product including a particulate mixture containing: a coarse fraction, representing >50%<91% of particulate mixture, in mass percentage, and containing particles size 50 m, coarse particles, and matrix fraction, forming remainder up to 100% of particulate mixture, and containing particles sizes <50 m, product having chemical analysis, in mass percentage based on oxides of product, such: 45%<Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 7.5%<SiO.sub.2<35%, 0%ZrO.sub.2<33%, providing 10%<SiO.sub.2+ZrO.sub.2<54%, 0.15%<B.sub.2O.sub.3<8%, other oxides: <6%, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 forming remainder up to 100%, coarse fraction including more than 15% coarse particles having size >1 mm, in mass percentage based on particulate mixture, matrix fraction having a chemical analysis, in mass percentage based on oxides of matrix fraction, such: Al.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+ZrO.sub.2>86%, providing 35%<Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

A cBN sintered material cutting tool is provided. The cBN cutting tool includes a cutting tool body, which is a sintered material including cBN grains and a binder phase, wherein the sintered material comprises: the cubic boron nitride grains in a range of 40 volume % or more and less than 60 volume %; and Al in a range from a lower limit of 2 mass % to an upper limit Y, satisfying a relationship, Y=0.1X+10, Y and X being an Al content in mass % and a content of the cubic boron nitride grains in volume %, respectively, the binder phase comprises: at least a Ti compound; Al.sub.2O.sub.3; and inevitable impurities, the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 includes fine Al.sub.2O.sub.3 grains with a diameter of 10 nm to 100 nm dispersedly formed in the binder phase, and there are 30 or more of the fine Al.sub.2O.sub.3 grains generated in an area of 1 m1 m in a cross section of the binder phase.

A preceramic resin formulation comprising a polycarbosilane preceramic polymer, an organically modified silicon dioxide preceramic polymer, and, optionally, at least one filler. The preceramic resin formulation is formulated to exhibit a viscosity of from about 1,000 cP at about 25? C. to about 5,000 cP at a temperature of about 25? C. The at least one filler comprises first particles having an average mean diameter of less than about 1.0 ?m and second particles having an average mean diameter of from about 1.5 ?m to about 5 ?m. Impregnated fibers comprising the preceramic resin formulation are also disclosed, as is a composite material comprising a reaction product of the polycarbosilane preceramic polymer, organically modified silicon dioxide preceramic polymer, and the at least one filler. Methods of forming a ceramic matrix composite are also disclosed.