A method for drying a honeycomb formed body, the honeycomb formed body being an unfired honeycomb formed body including a raw material composition containing a ceramic raw material and water, the method including: a dielectric drying process of obtaining a primary dried honeycomb formed body from which 30 to 70% of entire moisture contained in the unfired honeycomb formed body before the drying is removed by performing dielectric drying on the unfired honeycomb formed body while maintaining a temperature of a central portion of the unfired honeycomb formed body at 100° C. or less; and a microwave drying process of obtaining a honeycomb dried body from which residual moisture is removed by performing microwave drying on the primary dried honeycomb formed body obtained in the dielectric drying process.

Crystal pulling systems having composite polycrystalline silicon feed tubes, methods for forming such tubes, and methods for forming a single crystal silicon ingot with use of such tubes. The composite polycrystalline silicon feed tubes include quartz and at least one dopant. The composite polycrystalline silicon feed tube may be made by a slip cast method.

An extrusion system (100) includes at least one sensor (102, 104) to detect localized presence of oil (701) on an exterior surface (715) or skin of wet extrudate material (714 e.g., ceramic material having a honeycomb cross-sectional shape), and at least one infrared emitting device (106, 108) configured to impinge infrared emissions on at least a portion of the exterior surface responsive to one or more sensor signals. Localized impingement of infrared emissions may reduce presence of oil streaks (701) without undue differential drying of the extrudate skin (715), and avoid surface fissures that would otherwise result in fired ceramic bodies. Separately controllable infrared emitters (502), or at least one controllable infrared blocking or redirecting element (603), may be used to impinge infrared emissions on selected areas. A humidification section (120) arranged downstream of infrared emitters (106, 108) may be used to at least partially rehydrate the wet extrudate material, if necessary.

An extrusion system (100) according to certain aspects includes at least one infrared emitting device (102) arranged in a generally cylindrical shape with a hollow interior. The at least one infrared emitting device (102) is positioned downstream of an outlet of an extrusion die (110) to irradiate a perimeter of wet extrudate material in a uniform manner to form stiffened wet extrudate material (116) before such material is received by an extrudate support channel (118). The at least one infrared emitting device (102) generally uniformly stiffens the skin of the wet extrudate material (116) to resist mechanical deformation of the extrudate material during subsequent handling steps. Such skin stiffening allows for increased tolerance of handling forces and permits extrusion of softer wet extrudate material without compromising the shape of a fired ceramic product.

A method for forming a ceramic-based material comprises depositing a ceramic-precursor composition comprising nanoparticles having at least one dimension less than 100 nm and an aspect ratio of 1.5 or greater, and a carrier fluid on a surface of a substrate to form an as-deposited layer of the ceramic precursor composition; and sintering the as-deposited layer of the ceramic precursor composition at a sintering temperature to form a ceramic-based material.

A bottom face processing method of a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure including steps of: preparing a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure including a plurality of first cells which extend in parallel with each other from a first bottom face to a second bottom face, and each of which is opened in the first bottom face and has a protruding plugged portion in the second bottom face, and a plurality of second cells each of which is adjacent to at least one of the first cells with a partition wall interposed therebetween, which extend in parallel with each other from the first bottom face to the second bottom face, and each of which has a protruding plugged portion in the first bottom face, and is opened in the second bottom face; and removing the protruding portion from the plugged portion of each of the first cells and the second cells of the pillar-shaped honeycomb structure.

A method for making a carbonated precast concrete product includes: obtaining a mixture including at least one binder material, an aggregate, and water; molding the mixture into a molded intermediate; demolding the molded intermediate to obtain a demolded intermediate, the demolded intermediate having a first water-to-binder ratio; conditioning the demolded intermediate to provide a conditioned article having a second water-to-binder ratio less than the first water-to-binder ratio of the demolded intermediate; moisturizing at least one surface of the conditioned article with an aqueous medium, thereby causing a weight gain of the conditioned article and providing a moisturized product, a first portion of the moisturized product having a third water-to-binder ratio greater than a fourth water-to-binder ratio of a remainder of the moisturized product; and curing the moisturized product with carbon dioxide to obtain the carbonated precast concrete product.

A method for making a carbonated precast concrete product includes: obtaining a mixture including at least one binder material, an aggregate, and water; molding the mixture into a molded intermediate; demolding the molded intermediate to obtain a demolded intermediate, the demolded intermediate having a first water-to-binder ratio; conditioning the demolded intermediate to provide a conditioned article having a second water-to-binder ratio less than the first water-to-binder ratio of the demolded intermediate; moisturizing at least one surface of the conditioned article with an aqueous medium, thereby causing a weight gain of the conditioned article and providing a moisturized product, a first portion of the moisturized product having a third water-to-binder ratio greater than a fourth water-to-binder ratio of a remainder of the moisturized product; and curing the moisturized product with carbon dioxide to obtain the carbonated precast concrete product.

Method for producing a friction material, including the following steps in sequence: mixing an aluminosilicate source with an alkaline silicate solution to form a geopolymer, adding a friction mix to the geopolymer solution of the previous step to obtain a slurry, casting the slurry in a mold at temperature between room temperature and 120° C. and for between 5 min and 2 h and demolding to obtain a pad, attaching a backplate to the pad, curing for a time between X and Y hours at a temperature of between X and Y. The friction material obtained with the method is for the manufacture of friction layers/blocks for friction elements such as braking elements, including vehicle brake pads or blocks, and/or friction discs.

Method for producing a friction material, including the following steps in sequence: mixing an aluminosilicate source with an alkaline silicate solution to form a geopolymer, adding a friction mix to the geopolymer solution of the previous step to obtain a slurry, casting the slurry in a mold at temperature between room temperature and 120° C. and for between 5 min and 2 h and demolding to obtain a pad, attaching a backplate to the pad, curing for a time between X and Y hours at a temperature of between X and Y. The friction material obtained with the method is for the manufacture of friction layers/blocks for friction elements such as braking elements, including vehicle brake pads or blocks, and/or friction discs.