The present invention relates to granular composite density enhancement, and related methods and compositions. The applications where these properties are valuable include but are not limited to: 1) additive manufacturing (“3D printing”) involving metallic, ceramic, cermet, polymer, plastic, or other dry or solvent-suspended powders or gels, 2) concrete materials, 3) solid propellant materials, 4) cermet materials, 5) granular armors, 6) glass-metal and glass-plastic mixtures, and 7) ceramics comprising (or manufactured using) granular composites.

A method of forming a water resistant boundary on a fissile material for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor is described. The method comprises mixing a powdered fissile material selected from the group consisting of UN and U.sub.3Si.sub.2 with an additive selected from oxidation resistant materials having a melting or softening point lower than the sintering temperature of the fissile material, pressing the mixed fissile and additive materials into a pellet, sintering the pellet to a temperature greater than the melting point of the additive. Alternatively, if the melting point of the oxidation resistant particles is greater than the sintering temperature of UN or U.sub.3Si.sub.2, then the oxidation resistant particles can have a particle size distribution less than that of the UN or U.sub.3Si.sub.2.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, and a cutting table attached to an end of the supporting substrate. The cutting table comprises inter-bonded diamond particles, and a thermally stable material within interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond particles. The thermally stable material comprises a carbide precipitate having the general chemical formula, A.sub.3XZ.sub.n-1, where A comprises one or more of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, and U; X comprises one or more of Al, Ga, Sn, Be, Bi, Te, Sb, Se, As, Ge, Si, B, and P; Z comprises C; and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.75. A method of forming a cutting element, an earth-boring tool, a supporting substrate, and a method of forming a supporting substrate are also described.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than or equal to 80 volume % and less than or equal to 96 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and a binder, wherein the binder includes tungsten carbide, cobalt, and an aluminum compound, and Ha/Hb≥0.40 is satisfied, where Hb represents a hardness of the cubic boron nitride sintered material and Ha represents a hardness of the cubic boron nitride sintered material after performing acid treatment onto the cubic boron nitride sintered material to substantially remove the binder in the cubic boron nitride sintered material.

Polycrystalline compacts include a polycrystalline superabrasive material comprising a first plurality of grains of superabrasive material having a first average grain size and a second plurality of grains of superabrasive material having a second average grain size smaller than the first average grain size. The first plurality of grains is dispersed within a substantially continuous matrix of the second plurality of grains. Earth-boring tools may include a body and at least one polycrystalline compact attached thereto. Methods of forming polycrystalline compacts may include coating relatively larger grains of superabrasive material with relatively smaller grains of superabrasive material, forming a green structure comprising the coated grains, and sintering the green structure. Other methods include mixing diamond grains with a catalyst and subjecting the mixture to a pressure greater than about five gigapascals (5.0 GPa) and a temperature greater than about 1,300° C. to form a polycrystalline diamond compact.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing at least one monolithic inorganic porous support (1) having a porosity comprised between 10% and 60% and an average pore diameter ranging from 0.5 μm to 50 μm, using a 3D printer type machine (I) to build, in accordance with a 3D digital model, a manipulable three-dimensional raw structure (2) intended to form, after sintering, the monolithic inorganic porous support(s) (1).

An embodiment relates to a material comprising a ceramic formed from an amorphous metal alloy (amorphous metal ceramic composite), wherein the composite exhibits a higher corrosion resistance than that of Haynes 230 when exposed to molten chlorides such as KCl or MgCl.sub.2 or combinations thereof at temperatures up to 750° C. Yet, another embodiment relates to a method comprising obtaining a substrate, forming a coating of an amorphous metal alloy, heating the coating, and transforming at least a portion the amorphous metal alloy into an amorphous metalceramic composite.

A cemented tungsten carbide body is formed by mixing a tungsten carbide powder and a cobalt powder together to form a powder mixture. The tungsten carbide powder makes up greater than or equal to 80 weight percent of the powder mixture, while the cobalt binder powder makes up about 1.5 weight percent to about 20 weight percent of the powder mixture. Next, the powder mixture is compacted to form a green compact, and a boron nitride coating is applied to a surface of the green compact to form a coated compact. The coated compact is sintered at a temperature sufficient to melt the cobalt powder, such that boron from the boron nitride coating diffuses into the compact and creates a gradient of metallic cobalt and boron extending inward from the surface. The metallic cobalt content increases from the surface inward, while the boron content decreases from the surface inward.

A precursor of an alumina sintered compact including aluminum, yttrium, and at least one metal selected from iron, zinc, cobalt, manganese, copper, niobium, antimony, tungsten, silver, and gallium. The aluminum content is 98.0% by mass or more as an oxide (Al2O3) in 100% by mass of the precursor of an alumina sintered compact; the yttrium content is 0.01 to 1.35 parts by mass as an oxide (Y2O3) based on 100 parts by mass of the content of the aluminum as an oxide; the total content of the metals selected from the foregoing group is 0.02 to 1.55 parts by mass as an oxide based on 100 parts by mass of the content of aluminum as an oxide; and the aluminum is contained as α-alumina. Also disclosed is an alumina sintered compact, and a method for producing an alumina sintered compact and for producing abrasive grains.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than or equal to 80 volume % and less than or equal to 96 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and a binder, wherein the binder includes tungsten carbide, cobalt, and an aluminum compound, and Ha/Hb≥0.40 is satisfied, where Hb represents a hardness of the cubic boron nitride sintered material and Ha represents a hardness of the cubic boron nitride sintered material after performing acid treatment onto the cubic boron nitride sintered material to substantially remove the binder in the cubic boron nitride sintered material.