Centre of Excellence and Technology
Dedicated to advancing research and development, our centres use advanced materials to make the world more sustainable, and to improve the quality of life
Our commitment to innovation is supported through our continued investment in our Centre of Excellence (CoE) and Technology Centres across the Thermal Ceramics business.
Our CoE is a dedicated centre of scientists and technicians, focusing on developing new fibre chemistries to support our customers and the industries driving the global economy.
Technology Centres can be found in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and are dedicated to refractory, converted fibres, and microporous innovations and enhancements.
Our collaborative network of scientists and technicians are partnering with our operations teams to improve the manufacturing process of our current capabilities in support our global environmental commitments.
Purpose built test furnace
The ability to perform tests 'in-house' brings expertise and product development along more rapidly. Both our CoE and a number of our Technology Centres have gas-fired furnaces. These allow us to test all forms of furnace wall or roof construction, and to measure the resulting cold face temperatures.
We can measure the fast heating capability required for performing the three standard fire tests:
- Cellulosic
- Hydrocarbon
- Tunnel fire testing up to 1350°C RWS
Chemical Analysis
Our state-of the art X-ray instrumentation enables us to produce rapid analysis of chemical compositions and crystal structures.
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal conductivity measurement is essential to the development of all insulation materials. For that reason, our Centre of Excellence (CoE) developed an advanced version of the ASTM C201 thermal conductivity measurement system.
This is used on a routine basis for testing the properties of all refractory insulation materials. This design has been so successful that we have manufactured additional units to be located at our Technology Centres around the world.
Our Microporous Technology Centre uses advanced capabilities for industry specific thermal conductivity testing in aerospace, marine and other industrial applications.