powder and binder are mixed to a pliable consistency in the past when such abrasive material 16 is placed in the honeycomb structure 14 and sintered it is expanded so that the nickel coated aluminum particles engage the walls of the honeycomb structure where there was no visible line between the nickel coated aluminum particles and the honeycomb structure and there was said to be a bond between the abradable matrix material 16 and the honeycomb structure approximately 65 bonds per inch of honeycomb structure has in the past been determined to provide an acceptable bond between the matrix material and the honeycomb structure according to the present invention however the separate honeycomb strips such as strips 30 and 32 for example of the honeycomb material of fig3 are selectively split and deformed prior to their being assembled in the honeycomb structure and welded together as shown best in fig3 through 6 the splitting and deforming contemplated provides detents or locking means 18 for positively mechanically locking the abradable matrix material 16 in the individual cells such as cell 36 of the honeycomb structure 14 thus the matrix material 16 is positively prevented from separating from the honeycomb structure 14 in a preferred embodiment of the invention the locking means 18 is accomplished by a diamond shaped splitting and deforming of one or more of the six side walls of a cell 26 of the honeycomb.