A method for testing a ceramic component for a fracture toughness includes changing the temperature of the component to a first temperature, for example, by heating the component, and changing the temperature of the component to a second temperature, for example, by cooling the component and testing the component for cracks. The temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is determined based on a minimum fracture toughness.

Provided are a sintered ceramic and a ceramic sphere which are inhibited from suffering surface peeling due to fatigue resulting from repetitions of loading and can attain an improvement in dimensional accuracy when subjected to surface processing and which have excellent wear resistance and durability.

A method of treating a carbon structure is provided. The method may include infiltrating the carbon structure with a silicon compound preparation, heat treating the carbon structure to form a plurality of silicon carbide whiskers in the carbon structure, and/or densifying the carbon structure.

A honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body having a partition wall which is constituted of a porous body. The porous body includes a refractory aggregate and a bonding material. The porous body constituting includes the bonding material at a mass proportion of 20 to 35 mass %. In an observation of a cross section of the partition wall with an electron microscope, when observing any given ten visual fields meeting a following condition (1), the number of refractory aggregates meeting a following condition (2) is five pieces or more in all of the ten visual fields. Condition (1): a proportion of an area occupied by the bonding material is 30% or more. Condition (2): the refractory aggregate has a particle diameter of 5 μm or more, and 60% or more of an outer circumference of the refractory aggregate is surrounded by the bonding material.

A silicon nitride ceramic material for a mobile phone rear cover and a preparation method therefor. The method comprises: using a mixture of a silicon source, a colorant, and a sintering aid as raw materials, mixing the raw material components, and performing shaping and sintering to obtain the silicon nitride ceramic material. The toughness of the silicon nitride ceramic material can reach more than 12 MPa.Math.m.sup.1/2; the thermal conductivity thereof can reach 40 to 70 W/m.Math.K; and a dielectric loss thereof is 10.sup.−4.

To provide a sintered material having excellent oxidation resistance, as well as excellent abrasion resistance and chipping resistance. A sintered material containing a first compound formed of Ti, Al, Si, O, and N is provided.

(i) a step of disposing a powder that includes an absorber absorbing light of a wavelength included in a laser beam to be irradiated and silicon dioxide as a main component; (ii) a step of sintering or melting and solidifying the powder by irradiating the powder with a laser beam; and (iii) a step of heat-treating a shaped object formed by repeating the steps (i) and (ii) at 1470° C. or more and less than 1730° C.

The invention concerns a batch for the production of a refractory product, a process for the production of a refractory product, a refractory product as well as the use of a refractory product.

A cordierite-based sintered body according to the present invention contains cordierite as a main component and silicon nitride or silicon carbide. The cordierite-based sintered body preferably has a thermal expansion coefficient less than 2.4 ppm/° C. at 40° C. to 400° C., an open porosity of 0.5% or less, and an average grain size of 1 μm or less.

A method of forming a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component having an engineered surface includes applying a surface slurry comprising first particulate solids in a liquid carrier to an outer surface of a ceramic fiber preform. The surface slurry is dried to remove the liquid carrier, and thus a surface slurry layer comprising the first particulate solids is formed on the outer surface. The surface slurry layer is polished to a predetermined thickness and/or surface finish. After polishing, a ceramic tape comprising second particulate solids is applied to the surface slurry layer, and pressure is applied to attach the ceramic tape to the surface slurry layer and to induce consolidation of the ceramic tape and the surface slurry layer. Thus, a multilayer surface region comprising the surface slurry layer and a ceramic tape layer is formed on the ceramic fiber preform. The ceramic fiber preform and the multilayer surface region are infiltrated with a molten material, and, upon cooling, a CMC component having an engineered surface is formed.