The facility ranges in scope from small laboratory furnaces for preliminary testing for materials development, all the way up to large-scale systems for manufacturing full-size CMC components.
For the development of components made of fibre-reinforced ceramics, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart has several furnaces for high-temperature processes as well as other modern facilities for preform manufacturing. The laboratory furnaces are used for developing and producing ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), especially C/C, C/C-SiC and SiC/SiC materials.
High-performance furnaces for developing new materials
The facility ranges in scope from small laboratory furnaces for preliminary testing for materials development, all the way through to large-scale systems for manufacturing full-scale CMC components. Research focuses on polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) and reactive melt infiltration (RMI). Featuring a cube-shaped combustion chamber measuring approximately 900 millimetres along each side, the furnaces for pyrolysis and siliconisation (OPUS 900) offer an effective volume of approximately one cubic metre for component production. A process monitoring and documentation system enables comprehensive quality assurance and automatic around-the-clock operation.
Contact
Volker Speelmann
Head of Research Infrastructures
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Executive Board department for Innovation, Transfer and Research Infrastructure
