Cermets and method for making same

Patent · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5227809

Aaron, W. S.; Kinser, D. L.; Quinby, T. C.

The present invention is directed to a method for making a wide variety of general-purpose cermets and for radioactive waste disposal from ceramic powders prepared from urea-dispersed solutions containing various metal values. The powders are formed into a compact and subjected to a rapid temperature increase in a reducing atmosphere. During this reduction, one or more of the more readily reducible oxides in the compact is reduced to a selected substoichiometric state at a temperature below the eutectic phase for that particular oxide or oxides and then raised to a temperature greater than the eutectic temperature to provide a liquid phase in the compact prior to the reduction of the liquid phase forming oxide to solid metal. This liquid phase forms at a temperature below the melting temperature of the metal and bonds together the remaining particulates in the cermet to form a solid polycrystalline cermet.

• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Application Number: ON: DE82007303
• OSTI ID: 5227809
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CERMETS
REDUCTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
EUTECTICS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
PROCESSING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
360201* - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Preparation & Fabrication
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing