Patent ID: 6869455

Claim:
A method of forming an abrasive carbon foam, comprising: comminuting coal to form a particulate coal; blending said particulate coal with from about 1 to about 10% by volume of a carbide precursor to form a reactive blend, wherein the carbide precursor is selected from the group consisting of tungsten, silicon and titanium; heating said reactive blend in a mold under a non-oxidizing atmosphere to a first temperature ranging from about 300° C. to about 600° C., wherein the first heating step includes controlling the pressure ranging from about 50 psi to about 500 psi and soaking at this temperature for a period ranging from about 10 minutes to about 12 hours to form a green foam blend; carbonizing said green foam blend to form a carbonized foam by heating to a second temperature ranging from about 600° C. to about 1600° C. in an inert atmosphere and holding at said second temperature for a period ranging from about 1 to about 3 hours to form a carbonized foam; and graphitizing said carbonized foam by heating said carbonized foam to a third temperature ranging from about 1700° C. to about 3000° C. in an inert atmosphere and holding at said third temperature for a period of greater than about one hour to form said abrasive carbon foam.