“ARCONIC-THOR is a breakthrough aerospace material that goes where conventional titanium alloys cannot,” said Jeremy Halford, President, Arconic Engineered Structures.  Within Arconic’s patented alloy ranges, ARCONIC-THOR’s specific proprietary formulation demonstrates three times improved oxidation resistance compared to existing high temperature titanium alloys. This improved oxidation resistance protects against deterioration at elevated temperatures and enables ARCONIC-THOR to operate at service temperatures higher than any other conventional titanium alloy available on the market.

As next generation aero engines run hotter, ARCONIC-THOR™ delivers a lighter, more cost-effective titanium alternative to incumbent nickel-based superalloys

• Patented ARCONIC-THOR is nearly 50 percent lighter than incumbent nickel-based superalloys for higher temperature applications in aero engines and adjacent structures—driving cost savings and fuel efficiency for customers
• ARCONIC-THOR offers three times improved oxidation resistance which enables it to operate at service temperatures higher than any other conventional titanium alloy available on the market
• Company has completed successful development projects with commercial aerospace and defense customers, including a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory project with partners Boeing and Honeywell

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Arconic (NYSE: ARNC) today announced the commercial availability of an advanced titanium alloy— called ARCONIC-THOR— that is designed for higher temperature applications in next Continue reading→

Amsterdam rolled and extruded aluminium leader Constellium N.V. revealed yesterday the opening of an expansion to the University Technology Center (UTC) at London’s Brunel University as well as the debut of a new on-campus research and development center, the Advanced Metals Processing Centre (AMPC). Per Constellium, the AMPC’s newest capabilities include freeform 3D bending, electromagnetic pulse forming, and sawing. In addition, the UTC now boasts new joining techniques such as welding, flow drill screw and self-piercing rivets. The new additions are the latest step in the evolution of the UTC, which is a joint effort between Constellium and Brunel University to accelerate the pace of aluminium alloy development and usage in the automotive industry. Initially tasked withContinue reading→

The new fuel tank for Lockheed Martin’s largest satellites host 3-D printed domes that cap off the cylinder. Using this manufacturing method, tank delivery time went down from two years to three months. Here the tank is seen in a test fixture, with a 3-D printed dome seamlessly integrated into the body of the tank.

July 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has embraced a 3-D printed titanium dome for satellite fuel tanks so big you can’t even put your arms around it. The 46-inch- (1.16-meter-) diameter vessel completed final rounds of quality testing this month, ending a multi-year development program to create giant, high-pressure tanks that carry fuel on board satellites. The titanium tank consists of three parts welded together: two 3-D printed domes that serve as caps, plus a variable-length, traditionally-manufactured titaniumcylinder that forms theContinue reading→

Microstructural changes in a promising material for nuclear reactors can be tracked in real time during thermomechanical tests, thanks to a new microscopy technique. Afsaneh Rabiei is pictured here with the device she developed that can capture scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images in real time at temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius while applying stresses as high as two gigapascal.

A new microscopy technique allows researchers to track microstructural changes in real time, even when a material is exposed to extreme heat and stress. Recently, researchers show that a stainless steel alloy called alloy 709 has potential for elevated temperature applications such as nuclear reactor structures. “Alloy 709 is exceptionally strong and resistant to damage when exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time,” says Afsaneh Rabiei, corresponding author of a paper on the new findings and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering atContinue reading→

Four times stronger than stainless steel, a unique alloy blends chromium, cobalt, iron, manganese and silicon.  It’s not Black Panther’s vibranium or Captain America’s proto-adamantium shield, but a new alloy designed by University of North Texas researcher has come pretty close. Researcher  Saurabh Nene has been working with UNT’s College of Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering to mix and flow material simultaneously, giving the alloy new strength. The alloy, which has no catchy name like its fictional counterparts, is created by melting and casting the materials, then taking the thin, flat mold to start “friction stirring,” Nene said.  Nene, who has been working on this piece of research for eight months, said the process intensely deforms the metal’s makeupContinue reading→

Nooshin Mortazavi is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of physics at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. She was recently offered prestigious funding from the Swedish Research Council, the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Wallenberg Foundation. She can now choose between two or three years of postdoctoral training at Harvard or Stanford University in the US – followed by two more years at Chalmers University of Technology after her return.

 Groundbreaking findings of a study conducted at the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, contributes to a better fundamental understanding of how alloys behave at high temperatures, whichcould help researchers to develop improved materials and advancedContinue reading→

Army researchers have developed a novel, structurally-stable, aluminum-based nanogalvanic alloy powder that, when combined with water or any water-based liquid, reacts to produce on-demand hydrogen for power generation at room temperature without chemicals, catalysts or externally supplied power. These patent-pending powders produce hydrogen at a rate that currently is one of the fastest reported for Al and water reactions without the need of hazardous and costly materials or additional processes. The reaction results in the production of hydrogen and heat with only inert residual materials; i.e., no toxic by-products. ARL has demonstrated that hydrolysis will occur with virtually any water containing liquid. It has long been known that aluminum (Al) reacts with water to produce hydrogen gas and aluminum oxide via a hydrolysisContinue reading→

Micro-D² : optimisation du procédé de décolletage sur tenon de mouvement horloger

Axes, vis, tenons, pignons…, plusieurs dizaines de pièces métalliques minuscules composent le cœur d’une montre mécanique. L’évolution des contraintes environnementales obligeant à recourir à de nouveaux aciers, les problèmes de qualité générant des rebuts importants chez les fabricants, et le souhait de gagner en autonomie pour l’approvisionnement de ces composants dans les manufactures horlogères invitent à travailler, à l’échelle du micromètre, à de nouvelles techniques de décolletage. Technique de prédilection de nombreuses entreprises de la région, le décolletage consiste à fabriquer des pièces à partir de barres de métal, par uneContinue reading→

In this photo, Qiang Li makes a deposition program on the operational computer, and Yifan Zhang loads samples into a sputtering chamber to prepare high-strength Al alloy coatings. Credit Photo @Purdue University

 University researchers have developed a superstrong material that may change some manufacturing processes for the aerospace and automobile industries. The Purdue team, led by Xinghang Zhang, a professor in Purdue’s School of Materials Engineering, created high-strength aluminum alloy coatings. According to Zhang, there is an increasing demand for such materials because of their advantages for automakers and aerospace industries. “We have created a very durable and lightweight aluminum alloy that is just as strong as, and possibly stronger than, stainless steel,” Zhang said. “Our aluminum alloy is lightweight and provides flexibility that stainless steel does not in manyContinue reading→

La curieuse forme incurvée sert à mieux orienter le son vers l’auditeur. Le tweeter en béryllium, un métal léger et très solide, permet un rendu très fin des aigus. Le dôme du haut-parleur aigu est inversé pour une meilleure directivité des ondes sonores.

De Saint-Etienne, cette PME rayonne dans le monde entier avec ses enceintes et ses systèmes acoustiques très, très haut de gamme. Elle équipe même des voitures premium.

Quand Christophe Sicaud reçoit ses clients VIP à l’usine de Saint-Etienne, le président de Focal, numéro 1 français des enceintes acoustiques, ne manque pas de leur en mettre plein la vue. Ou plutôt, plein les oreilles. D’abord, il les installe dans un large canapé en cuir, face à deux grandes Utopia : des colonnes laquées de 2 mètres de haut àl’ébénisterie épaisse de 5 centimètres et pesant chacune 256 kilos. Ensuite, le maestro pousse le son des quatre Continue reading→