Fraunhofer ISC, Center for High Temperature Materials and Design HTL, Bayreuth

Research Areas

Fraunhofer Center for High Temperature Materials and Design HTL is focused on research in the areas of ceramics, CMCs (ceramic matrix composites), additive manufacturing, textile fiber processing, thermal processes, testing procedures, ICME (integrated computational materials engineering) and hydrogen.

Ceramics

Fraunhofer Center HTL has methods for developing ceramics and powder metallurgical materials throughout the entire production chain. From the formulation preparation and shaping processes to the heat treatment and final processing, oxide ceramics, non-oxide ceramics, silicate ceramics, powder metals, and fine-grain graphite can be produced.

Ceramics

CMCs

At Fraunhofer Center HTL, fiber-reinforced ceramics, so-called Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs), are developed. The HTL covers the entire process chain from fiber production, their textile processing, to the construction of the matrix and system integration.

CMCs

Additive Manufacturing

Fraunhofer Center HTL develops and produces components made of ceramics, metals, and metal-ceramic composites through 3D printing processes. Standard materials include aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, and steel.

Additive Manufacturing

Textile Fiber Processing

Fraunhofer Center HTL works on developing cost-effective and production-ready textile manufacturing processes for inorganic fibers with its Application Center for Textile Fiber Ceramics TFK. Typical materials include silicon carbide, mullite, basalt, carbon, metal, and glass fibers.

Textile Fiber Processing

Thermal Processes

Fraunhofer Center HTL optimizes thermal processes for the production of ceramics and metals with regard to energy and cost efficiency as well as product quality. Relevant processes are drying, debinding, pyrolysis, sintering, melt infiltration and various processes in the field of molten metallurgy.

Thermal Processes

Testing Methods

Fraunhofer Center HTL characterizes materials and determines material properties such as composition, microstructure, and application properties. If necessary, application-specific characterization methods are developed and customers are advised on suitable processes for process monitoring and quality control.

Testing Methods

ICME

In recent years, the integration of different simulation methods and experimental techniques for faster and more targeted material development has gained importance worldwide. This so-called Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) has already been widely used in the development of new metallic materials, but is rarely used in the field of ceramic materials.

ICME

Hydrogen

As a clean energy carrier, hydrogen will replace fossil fuels in many heating processes. There is still a high R&D demand for the efficient production, storage and use of hydrogen. Fraunhofer Center HTL is working on all three topics, with a focus on investigating heat processes with hydrogen.

Hydrogen