Process of making cellular metal structures

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A POROUS MAGNESIUM BASED MEATL STRUCTURE OF A PREDETERMINED SHAPE AND HAVING INTERCONNECTED CELLS AND FORMED BY POURING A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MAGNESIUM AND MAGNESIUM BASE ALLOYS INTO A MOLD CONTAINING GRANULES OF A WATER SOLUBLE INORGANIC SLAT HAVING A MELTING POINT ABOVE THAT OF THE MOLTEN MAGNESIUM-BASE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE AND MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE WHEREIN SAID SALT GRANULES IN SAID MOLD ARE IN DIRECT CONTACT AND SOLIDIFYING THE MOLTEN MAGNESIUM BASE METAL, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS IN THE STEPS OF: (1) ROTATING THE SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID CAST STRUCTURE OF POROUS MAGNESIUM BASED METAL HAVING SOLID GRANULES OF SAID WATER SOLUBLE SALT CONTAINED THEREIN, (2) SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECTING THE ROTATING STRUCTURE TO THE ACTION OF PRESSURIZED WATER THEREBY TO LEACH SAID SALT GRANULES FROM THE INTERCONNECTED PORES OF SAID MAGNESIUM STRUCTURE, THE ENTIRE STREAM OF SAID PRESSURIZED WATER BEING CAUSED TO PASS THROUGH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE SOLID CAST STRUCTURE AT A PRESSURE GREATER THAN ATMOSPHERIC, (3) CONTINUALLY RINSING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID ROTATING STRUCTURE DURING THE LEACHING OPERATION WITH PRESSURIZED WATER THEREBY TO WASH AWAY FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID POROUS METAL STRUCTURE THE CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID SALT RESULTING FROM SAID LEACHING ACTION, AND (4) CONTINUING THE SIMULTANEOUS STRUCTURE ROTATING, LEACHING AND RINSING OPERATION UNTIL SAID POROUS MAGNESIUM BASE STRUCTURE IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SAID SALT.