Oxide-ceramic continuous fibres and ceramic fibre reinforced composites – innovative materials for the firing process

»1 Multifilament in the heat of a gas flame [1]

»2 CeraFib 75 mullite fibre, individual fibre thickness 10 -12 µm

»3 Schematic diagram of the production process

»4 Textile manufacturing process

»5 Burner nozzle in composite ceramic with thin-walled configuration (weight approx. 40 g; wall thicknesses between 1 mm and 3 mm)

»6 Continuous fibre reinforced composite under thermal strain [1]

»7 Damaged burner tube (metal) after a mere six months in service under aggressive environmental conditions

»8 Burner nozzle

»9 Support structure in kiln construction

»10 Draft design of an extraction tube

»11 Composite ceramic extraction tubes

»12 Flame-tube nozzle made of composite ceramic material

Energy conservation, efficiency and lightweight construction are future-oriented topics with a close connection to the advent of highly refractory continuous ceramic fibres and filaments. CeraFib GmbH designs and produces such fibres, filaments and other materials suitable for service under fluctuating temperature conditions (up to 1350° C) and in aggressive environments under mechanical stress. These materials are therefore ideally suited for the particular challenges of kiln construction. CeraFib‘s advanced fibres earned the company a nomination for the 2011 Saxon Innovation Award.

1 Oxide-ceramic continuous filaments

Oxide-ceramic continuous filaments by CeraFib GmbH have what it takes for continuous service at temperatures up to 1350° C (»1).

The market for refractory insulating material is presently dominated by mineral fibres and short ceramic fibres based on aluminium oxide. For high-tech applications however, i.e., among the ceramic composites, there is urgent need for high-performance ceramic fibres with better high-temperature ageing behaviour in oxidizing atmospheres than that displayed by the few alumina and Al₂O₃/SiO₂ filaments that are presently available – and...