Patent ID: 7029615

Claim:
A method for the production of a material block having one or more embedded test samples, the method comprising: a. casting a material blank from a mold, the material blank having one or more openings to accommodate cylinders of material, the one or more openings extending into the material blank from a first surface of the material blank in the direction of a second surface of the material blank; b. inserting at least one cylinder of material in at least one of the one or more openings of said material blank, the at least one cylinder with or without an embedded test object in an embedding material, wherein said embedding material is the same material as a material of the material blank; and c. bonding the at least one cylinder of material to the material of the material blank so as to affix the cylinders into the material blank; wherein bonding the at least one cylinder of material to the material of the material blank includes at least one melting procedure; and wherein bonding the at least one cylinder of material to the material of the material blank includes a double melt procedure, whereby heat is applied to the first surface of the material blank during a first step of the double-melt procedure, and heat is applied to the second surface of the material blank during a second step of the double-melt procedure.