A metal detectible plastic material, including a plurality of plastic particles defining a plastic portion and a plurality of high magnetic permeability metallic particles distributed throughout the plastic portion to define an admixture. The plastic particles and the metallic particles are generally the same size and shape, and each respective high magnetic permeability metallic particle has a magnetic permeability of at least 0.0001 H/m. The plastic particles are selected from the group consisting of high molecular mass polymers, thermoplastics, thermosetting polymers, amorphous plastics, crystalline plastics, resin-based materials, and combinations thereof.

A turbine engine component may comprise a Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) structure including a plurality of nominally dense plies, wherein each of the plurality of the nominally dense plies are bonded by at least one of a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST), a Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), or a localized heating at a bonding interface. The turbine engine component may include an airfoil extending between a first platform and a second platform, wherein the airfoil, the first platform, and the second platform define the CMC structure.

A metal boride aerogel includes a three-dimensional aerogel structure comprising metal boride particles having an average diameter of less than one micron. A method is disclosed for forming a metal boride aerogel including dispersing boron nanoparticles in a solution of a metal salt, forming a boron-loaded metal oxide precursor gel using the dispersed boron nanoparticles in the solution of the metal salt, drying the boron-loaded metal oxide precursor gel to form a boron-loaded metal oxide precursor aerogel, and heating the boron-loaded metal oxide precursor aerogel to form a metal boride aerogel. The metal boride aerogel is essentially free of metal oxide.

A method for forming a self-healing ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component includes depositing a first self-healing particulate material in a first region of a CMC preform of the CMC component and depositing a second self-healing particulate material having a different chemical composition than the first self-healing particulate material in a second region of the CMC preform distinct from the first region.

The invention relates to hydrocarbon conversion, to equipment and materials useful for hydrocarbon conversion, and to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon conversion, e.g., hydrocarbon pyrolysis processes. The hydrocarbon conversion is carried out in a reactor which includes at least one channeled member that comprises refractory and has an open frontal area 55%. The refractory can include non-oxide ceramic.

A composite material having a grainy appearance, this composite material including a metal matrix which represents, in terms of volume fraction, between 50 and 95% of the grainy composite material, the ceramic particles having a diameter that lies in the range 0.1 to 2 mm and which represent, in terms of volume fraction, between 50 and 5% of the composite material are dispersed in the metal matrix and form the remainder of this grainy composite material. A method for manufacturing a grainy synthetic material.

An object shaping method includes a step of forming a powder layer using first powder, a step of placing second powder having an average particle diameter smaller than an average particle diameter of the first powder at a part of a region of the powder layer, and a first heating step of heating the powder layer in which the second powder is placed. The average particle diameter is equal to or larger than 1 nm and equal to or smaller than 500 nm, and the first heating step performs heating the powder layer at a temperature at which particles contained in the second powder are sintered or melted.

Systems for and methods for improving mechanical properties of ceramic material are provided. The system comprises a heat source for heating the ceramic material to a temperature greater than a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature of the ceramic material; a probe for mounting the ceramic material and configured to extend the ceramic material into the heat source; a plasma-confining medium and a sacrificial layer disposed between the ceramic material and the plasma-confining medium; and an energy pulse generator such as a laser pulse generator. The sacrificial layer is utilized to form plasma between the ceramic material and the plasma-confining medium. The method comprises heating ceramic material to a temperature greater than a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature of the ceramic material and subjecting the ceramic material to energy pulses via a sacrificial layer and a plasma-confining medium whereby a plasma of the sacrificial coating forms between the ceramic material and a plasma-confining medium.

Systems for and methods for improving mechanical properties of ceramic material are provided. The system comprises a heat source for heating the ceramic material to a temperature greater than a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature of the ceramic material; a probe for mounting the ceramic material and configured to extend the ceramic material into the heat source; a plasma-confining medium and a sacrificial layer disposed between the ceramic material and the plasma-confining medium; and an energy pulse generator such as a laser pulse generator. The sacrificial layer is utilized to form plasma between the ceramic material and the plasma-confining medium. The method comprises heating ceramic material to a temperature greater than a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature of the ceramic material and subjecting the ceramic material to energy pulses via a sacrificial layer and a plasma-confining medium whereby a plasma of the sacrificial coating forms between the ceramic material and a plasma-confining medium.

The invention relates to hydrocarbon conversion, to equipment and materials useful for hydrocarbon conversion, and to processes for carrying out hydrocarbon conversion, e.g., hydrocarbon pyrolysis processes. The hydrocarbon conversion is carried out in a reactor which includes at least one channeled member that comprises refractory and has an open frontal area 55%. The refractory can include non-oxide ceramic.