 |
 |
||||||
[June 2007]
Carbon-Ceramic Brake Disc Innovation Wins Prof Ferdinand Porsche Prize
On 15 June 2007 the SGL Group (Wiesbaden, Germany) received the Prof Ferdinand Porsche Prize for its carbon-ceramic brake disc. The €50,000 award is granted every two years for "pioneering inventions in the field of automotive technology". Hans-Michael Güther, Managing Director of SGL Brakes GmbH, who was personally awarded, received the prize for his key involvement in the brake disc development in a ceremony at the Vienna University of Technology, Austria.
The prize was created in 1976 by Porsche Holding, Salzburg, and Porsche AG, Stuttgart. The prize has previously been awarded for other automotive innovations such as the airbag (1987), turbocharged diesel direct injection
(1991) and ABS (1981). As of today, the carbon-ceramic brake disc is also regarded as one of the outstanding innovations in the field of automotive engineering. In his address, Professor Bernhard Geringer of the Vienna University of Technology described it as a "significant milestone in braking technology".Robert Koehler, CEO of the SGL Group, said on the occasion of the award
ceremony: "In trying to reduce the weight of a chassis, development engineers at automotive manufacturers have to fight for every gram. We provide a brake disc that is several kilograms lighter than a conventional steel disc. This is a revolutionary milestone in automotive engineering”.The carbon-ceramic brake disc offers more than significant weight advantages of around 65% that benefit the so-called unsprung masses of a vehicle. It also improves shock absorber response as well as handling. The perforated and internally ventilated brake disc also develops immediate and above all constant friction levels on deceleration. Abrasion on carbon-ceramic brake discs is extremely low compared to metal brake discs thanks to their extreme surface hardness. Life expectancy is correspondingly high as well as being guaranteed by the corrosion resistance of the material.
The SGL Group and Porsche initially presented the brake disc as the world-wide first of its kind at the International Automobile Fair (IAA) in Frankfurt in 1999. It was used in a series just two years later as the 'Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake' (PCCB) in the 911 GT2. Porsche now offers this brake system for all 911 models and it is enjoying rising popularity among customers. More than 50% of units of the sporty 911 GT3 model series are ordered with PCCB, while all units of the racing version of the 911 GT3 are equipped with PCCB.
Since 2005, Audi customers have also been able to order carbon-ceramic brake discs in A8 W12, S8 and RS4 models. The SGL Group also delivers to the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands. In Meitingen, near Augsburg (Germany), the home of SGL Brakes GmbH, around 30,000 brake discs per annum are currently produced in a technologically highly sophisticated manufacturing process. Carbon brake discs must be baked in 900°C carbonisation furnaces. Carbon-ceramic discs require an additional production step, known as siliconisation. In this process, the carbon discs are subjected to even higher temperatures together with silicon. At around 1700°C the silicon in the high-vacuum furnace reacts with the carbon of the brake disc and carbon-fibre reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) is generated. This C/SiC is the innovative material for which the SGL Group was awarded the Prof Ferdinand Porsche Prize.
www.sglcarbon.de
ENDS