A foundry media pellet includes a sintered ceramic material having a size from about 10 AFS GFN to about 110 AFS GFN, and a surface roughness of less than about 4 microns.

There is provided a refractory article for use in metal casting and a composition for manufacture thereof, comprising a particulate refractory material, an oxidisable fuel, an oxidant, a sensitizer; a binder, and from 0.5 to 5 wt % CaSO.sub.4.

The present invention discloses a slurry feedstock for extrusion-based three-dimensional, 3D, printing of a functionally graded article, and/or for casting an article under a low pressure at a room temperature, a method of preparing the same, a method of extrusion-based 3D printing and/or casting, and a system therefor. The slurry feedstock comprises a build material comprising a metal, a ceramic or any combinations thereof, an organic polymer binder, an additive and a volatile organic solvent. The build material mixed with the additive and the organic polymer binder dissolved with the volatile organic solvent form a first pre-mix and a second pre-mix, respectively, that are mixed to form a substantially homogeneous and flowable slurry mixture that is used for producing articles.

Composition for additive manufacturing by binder jet printing, comprising a ceramic particulate material subjected to a heat treatment and a binder particulate material, wherein the heat treatment comprises heating a particulate ceramic material from 600 to 1200? C. for 1 to 20 h, to produce the ceramic particulate material subjected to a heat treatment and the binder particulate material is a water-soluble compound. Method for additive manufacturing by binder jet printing of a conformed object comprising repeating the steps of depositing a layer of composition of the invention on a printing bed and depositing a liquid binder.

The invention solves the problems of mechanical fragility of objects conformed by binder jet printing and design defects thereof, wherein the heat treatment creates bonds and aggregations between particles of the ceramic material, maintaining them during printing.

Composition for additive manufacturing by binder jet printing, comprising a ceramic particulate material subjected to a heat treatment and a binder particulate material, wherein the heat treatment comprises heating a particulate ceramic material from 600 to 1200? C. for 1 to 20 h, to produce the ceramic particulate material subjected to a heat treatment and the binder particulate material is a water-soluble compound. Method for additive manufacturing by binder jet printing of a conformed object comprising repeating the steps of depositing a layer of composition of the invention on a printing bed and depositing a liquid binder.

The invention solves the problems of mechanical fragility of objects conformed by binder jet printing and design defects thereof, wherein the heat treatment creates bonds and aggregations between particles of the ceramic material, maintaining them during printing.

In order to specify a catalytic converter, especially SCR catalytic converter, with maximum catalytic activity, this catalytic converter has at least one catalytically active component and additionally at least one porous inorganic filler component having meso- or macroporosity. The organic porous filler component has a proportion of about 5 to 50% by weight. More particularly, a diatomaceous earth or a pillared clay material is used as the porous inorganic filler component.

In order to specify a catalytic converter, especially SCR catalytic converter, with maximum catalytic activity, this catalytic converter has at least one catalytically active component and additionally at least one porous inorganic filler component having meso- or macroporosity. The organic porous filler component has a proportion of about 5 to 50% by weight. More particularly, a diatomaceous earth or a pillared clay material is used as the porous inorganic filler component.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clayey soil comprising expansive clay mineral(s) at a proportion of the total weight of the expansive clayey soil (P.sub.ECM). The method includes (a) calculating a first amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clayey soil to form a first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil with a reduced swell potential no greater than a pre-set level T with a nano-level constitutive modeling based on the water content and the CEC of the expansive clayey soil and P.sub.ECM. The swelling reduction agent is at least one selected from calcite, gypsum, potassium chloride, a composition comprising exchangeable K.sup.+, a composition comprising exchangeable Ca.sup.2+, and/or a composition comprising exchangeable Mg.sup.2+, and (b) incorporating the first amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clayey soil to form the first swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clayey soil.

The invention describes a process for obtaining clay having improved characteristics that comprises incorporating an inorganic matrix onto an organic matrix at determined proportions. The industrial clay obtained is malleable and highly resistant to compression and strain, of great use in the industry of prototype elaboration.

A method of reducing the swell potential of an expansive clay mineral. The method includes (a) carrying out a forcefield-modified molecular level simulation to determine an amount of a swelling reduction agent to be incorporated into the expansive clay mineral to form a swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral with a reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM) that is no greater than a pre-set level T, wherein the swelling reduction agent comprises at least one cementation material of calcite, gypsum, and potassium chloride and/or at least one exchangeable cation of K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, and wherein the forcefield-modified molecular level simulation comprises molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques configured to simulate the reduced swell potential S.sub.i(ECM), and (b) incorporating the amount of the swelling reduction agent into the expansive clay mineral to form the swelling reduction agent incorporated expansive clay mineral.