Structural Insulators

Cerablak™ Oxide–Oxide ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) offer superior thermal and mechanical properties for high-temperature structural applications. The unique properties of ATFI’s CMCs relate to the engineered Cerablak™ matrix infiltrated into 3M’s Nextel™-grade oxide fibers. The materials can be used at temperatures up to 2400˚F in applications such as heat shields, thermal protection systems, hot exhaust structures and combustor liners.   Aerospace and emerging energy technologies are primary targets for this new generation of advanced ceramic materials.

The Need for Oxide-Oxide CMCs

Nickel-based advanced alloys are reaching their performance limits (~1800°F) as the demand increases for high-efficiency airframe and propulsion components. As an alternative, traditional ceramics offer superior thermal stability, but are brittle, flaw-sensitive, and result in increased weight, often making them unusable for structural applications. 

Fiber-reinforced ceramic composites are an attractive way to enable toughness and damage-tolerance for high-temperature structural components while keeping added weight-load to a minimum. In particular, oxide-based CMCs are environmentally-stable and offer lower-cost options for intermediate thermal regimes.

Cerablak^TM Oxide-Oxide CMCs

Cerablak^TM based thermo-strucutral insulators represent a new advancement in oxide CMCs with outstanding high-temperature environmental stability and ultra-low thermal conductivity (including high-emissivity variants for effective radiative blocking) to provide durable thermal insulation. Components can be fabricated in various shapes and fiber architectures, including 3D woven, 2D layup, braided, cylinders, and cones.