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Content archived on 2024-04-15

LIGHTWEIGHT MIRRORS MADE OF CARBON FIBRE COMPOUND FOR OPTICAL APPLICATIONS

Objective

The project aims to develop new composites for manufacturing large (D 7m) mirror blanks, made of Carbon-Fibre-Compound (CFC), coated with thin layers of glass or ceramic materials. The CFC provides the mechanical strength, while the glass/ceramic materials offer a polishable surface. The intial stages of the work will concentrate on the selection of the most suitable glass- and ceramic-materials, which can be combined with CFC. Small pieces of the new composite material will be investigated and later will be extended to the development of prototype mirrors with sizes of 300 mm. Parallel to the development of the glass/ceramic covered CFC material another method will be studied, namely to combine the glass/ceramic material with the CFC material itself. This process is expected to permit a continuous gradient from the CFC to the glass/ceramic structure (carbon-fibre-glass compounds CFG). The properties of the CFC material, covered by the inert material glass, offer these new composites a wide range of industrial applications.
The internal strength required to maintain the mirror's shape during grinding and polishing is easily obtained; The coating of the surface of the CFC mirror with metals was unsuccessful because of a bi-metal effect in which the metal layer shrank during solidification; Surface coating the CFC mirrors with glass was unsuccessful due to insufficient homogeneity and the porosity of the deposited glass layer. Encapsulating the CFC mirror with suitable glass sheets and glass rings produces mirrors which can be ground and polished to the same standards as solid glass mirrors.
THE CFC PROVIDES THE MECHANICAL STRENGHT, WHILE THE GLASS/CERAMIC MATERIALS OFFER A POLISHABLE SURFACE.

THE INITIAL STAGES OF THE WORK WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE SELECTION OF THE MOST SUITABLE GLASS- AND CERAMIC-MATERIALS, WHICH CAN BE COMBINED WITH CFC. SMALL PIECES OF THE NEW COMPOSITE MATERIAL WILL BE INVESTIGATED AND LATER WILL BE EXTENDED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPE MIRRORS WITH SIZES OF 300 MM.

PARALLEL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GLASS/CERAMIC COVERED CFC MATERIAL ANOTHER METHOD WILL BE STUDIED, NAMELY TO COMBINE THE GLASS/CERAMIC MATERIAL WITH THE CFC MATERIAL ITSELF. THIS PROCESS IS EXPECTED TO PERMIT A CONTINUOUS GRADIENT FROM THE CFC TO THE GLASS/CERAMIC STRUCTURE (CARBON-FIBRE-GLASS COMPOUNDS (CFG)).

THE PROPERTIES OF THE CFC MATERIAL, COVERED BY THE INERT MATERIAL GLASS, OFFER THESE NEW COMPOSITES A WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.

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Coordinator

Ruhr-Universität Bochum
EU contribution
No data
Address
Universitätsstraße 150
44780 Bochum
Germany

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Total cost

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Participants (2)

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