Currently funded project

Europe has the goal of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050. To achieve this goal, renewable energies must be researched and energy-efficient processes and clean low-CO₂ technologies must be provided. However, the use of renewable energies leads to fluctuating process conditions. Energy-intensive industries therefore need new materials that can be used under these changing process conditions, such as very high temperatures or corrosion. Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) represent a group of materials that can withstand these extreme requirements.

The aim of CEM-WAVE is to develop an innovative CMC production process based on a microwave-assisted CVI process. This new process should lead to improved properties of CMC as well as drastically reduce manufacturing costs and thus open up an application in energy-intensive sectors such as the steel industry. In the project, new types of CMC tubes are to be produced, equipped with sensors and validated in a jet tube furnace. The aim of the CMC material development is to produce composites with a weak interface (WIC = Weak Interface Composites) as well as CMC with a weak matrix (WMC = Weak Matrix Composites).

At the HTL, ceramic fibre preforms will be produced for the project partners. This work includes:

• Wet chemical fibre coating of SiC fibres (ZMI, SA3, Hi-NicS) and oxide fibres (N610 & N720) in a continuous roll-to-roll process
• 3D preform manufacturing by wet winding and prepreg technology with coated and uncoated ceramic fibres
• Characterisation and quality testing of porous fibre preforms using computer tomography
• Production of suitable fibre preforms for CVI microwave infiltration, joining tests and characterisation