Dunlop Aerospace carbon tiles for JET fusion research

摘要

Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems (DABS) of Coventry, UK, has won a contract worth nearly €3 million to supply Carbon-Carbon (C-C) composite tiles for the interior of the EFDA JET (European Fusion Development Agreement, Joint European Torus) facility at the Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire. The contract, which was awarded by the European Community, is to supply plasma-facing tiles for this world-leading experimental fusion machine at Culham, funded by the European Union as part of the research programme into fusion energy. The Dunlop Aerospace tiles are used to clad metallic parts of the machine's inner walls to ensure that the plasma, which reaches temperatures of over 100 million degrees Celsius, does not come into contact with any internal structures. Since the 1980s, Dunlop Aerospace has worked closely with fusion projects in Europe and North America. The carbon materials used in fusion research applications have properties similar to those required in aircraft friction materials - the ability to transfer large heat fluxes and to retain strength at high temperatures and low density. David Johnson, Managing Director of Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems, commented: "Our collaboration with EFDA JET has been a significant factor in the intensive development programme we have sustained over many years. Dunlop Aerospace remains at the forefront of carbon materials technology not only in terms of research but also with products in high-end applications around the world."