Jun 15 2007
The SGL Group – The Carbon Company – today 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.
The prize was created in 1976 by Porsche Holding, Salzburg, and Porsche AG, Stuttgart. Until now, the prize has been awarded for other automotive innovations such as 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 percent 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 worldwide 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 percent of units of the sporty 911 GT3 model series are ordered with PCCB, while 100 percent of units of the racing version of the 911 GT3 are equipped with PCCB. Since 2005, Audi customers have also been able to order carbonceramic 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, the domicile of SGL Brakes GmbH, around 30,000 brake discs p.a. are currently produced in a technologically highly sophisticated manufacturing process. Carbon brake discs must be baked in 900° Celsius (1652° Fahrenheit) carbonization furnaces. Carbon-ceramic discs require an additional production step, known as siliconization. In this process, the carbon discs are subjected to even higher temperatures together with silicon. At around 1,700° Celsius (3092° Fahrenheit) the silicon in the high-vacuum furnace reacts with the carbon of the brake disc and carbon-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) is generated: This carbon-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide is the innovative material for which the SGL Group was awarded the "Prof. Ferdinand Porsche Prize". Hans-Michael Güther, who is receiving the prize today, remembers when disc production began: "Back then we worked under laboratory conditions and prepared the raw materials by hand. However, we were convinced of the success of this new material and set our course in terms of production technology very early on. In 2002 we commissioned a state-of-the-art production facility and began series production."