Dominant defect type predictions from r-MART model for 946 B2-type intermetallics. Colors indicates the relationship between prediction and calculations as shown in the legend

Berkeley Lab Research Could Accelerate Development of New Metallic Materials for the Aerospace Industry

For the first time, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have built and trained machine learning algorithms to predict defect behavior in certain intermetallic compounds with high accuracy. This method will accelerate research of new advanced alloys and lightweight new materials for applications spanning automotive to aerospace and much more. Their results were published in the December 2016 issue of Nature Computational Materials. Materials are never chemically pure and structurally flawless. They almost always contain defects, which play an important role in dictating properties. These defects may appear as vacancies, which are Read more→

ArcelorMittal has opened a new, €63m production line – the Jet Vapor Deposition (JVD) line – at its facilities in Kessales, Belgium. His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium officially inaugurated the line at an event, held today. The opening is the culmination of years of scientific investigation by ArcelorMittal’s research and development teams in collaboration with the Metallurgical Research Centre, CRM group, to create a new, breakthrough technology for the metallic coating of steel. The invention continues the Walloon tradition of stretching theRead more→

Identification of the 3-D coordinates of 6,569 iron and 16,627 platinum atoms in an iron-platinum nanoparticle to correlate 3-D atomic arrangements with material properties at the single-atom level. In the world of the very tiny, perfection is rare: virtually all materials have defects on the atomic level. These imperfections — missing atoms, atoms of one type swapped for another, and misaligned atoms — can uniquely determine a material’s properties and function. Now, UCLA physicists and collaborators have mapped the coordinates of more than 23,000 individual atoms in a tiny iron-platinum nanoparticle to reveal the material’s defects. The results demonstrate that the Read more→

The technological breakthrough developed by KTH in cooperation with the Swedish steel industry is a new aluminum and zirconium alloyed steel (Fe-10Cr-4Al-Zr) that provides adequate long-term performance in hot lead. After 19,000 hours of exposure at 550 C, the material appears to be in like new condition. By limiting operating temperature to 450 C the designers are confident that SEALERs using the new alloy will be able to operate reliably for as long as 30 years. That confidence, of course, will be something that LeadCold will have to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the regulatory agency. On photo  Lead corrosion laboratory: >19000 hour exposure of Fe-10Cr-4Al-Zr alloys at 550°C completed. Optimised alloys in perfect condition after exposure.

LeadCold and Essel Group ME have announced an agreement for a $200 million (USD) investment to build uranium-fueled power sources. Their systems, trademarked SEALER, are designed to compete with diesel generators to supply dependable power to communities and industries in remote areas of the world. SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead Reactor) is a fast spectrum nuclear reactor that uses low enriched uranium oxide fuel (19.5%) cooled by molten lead. TheRead more→

BENGALURU: Boeing has expanded significantly its engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru and said the centre will play a crucial role in areas like materials science, flight science and data analytics as the aircraft maker moves towards using newer materials for building planes and using the increasing amounts of digital data being generated to make all operations more efficient. The 42,000-sqft Boeing India Engineering & Technology Centre (BIETC) will house about 300 engineers, and that capacity will expand to double that by the end ofRead more→

Accuride’s engineers developed the proprietary next-generation Quantum 99 alloy to be 20 percent stronger than the Company’s previous aluminum alloy. Its optimized microstructure enhances wheel performance, ensuring industry-leading strength and durability

• Quantum 99™ aluminum alloy to lower weight, boost durability across wheel range
• New 40 lb. wheel gives industry stronger solution for light-weighting drive

Accuride Corporation – a leading supplier of components to the North American and European commercial vehicle industries – today introduced its new Quantum 99™ aluminum alloy, the strongest, most advanced alloy for aluminum wheels in the commercial vehicleRead more→

Scientists compressed hydrogen under vast amounts of pressure to turn the gas into a metallic state.

US scientists have succeeded in squeezing hydrogen so intensely that it has turned into a metal, creating an entirely new material that might be used as a highly efficient electricity conductor at room temperatures. The discovery, published in the journal Science on Thursday, provides the first confirmation of a theory proposed in 1935 by physicists Hillard Bell Huntington and Eugene Wigner that hydrogen, normally a gas, could occur in a metallic state if exposed to extreme pressure. Several teams have been racing to develop metallic hydrogen,Read more→

Nickel alloy, a mainstay material in engine production, offers less heat resistance than silicon carbide fibers and requires air cooling. Silicon carbide fibers let planes use air more effectively for propulsion instead. The composite material costs more than nickel alloy, but producers hope that mass production will bring the cost down. Silicon carbide fibers weigh one-third that of nickel alloy and can withstand temperatures up to 2,000 C. On photo Bill Millhaem, general manager of the GE90/GE9X engine programs at GE Aviation, stands by a full-scale mock-up of the GE9X in 2015

TOKYO — Tough, lightweight silicon carbide fibers will help improve the fuel efficiency of General Electric’s aircraft engines and could spread to other uses, following in the footsteps of earlier Japanese innovations in materials engineering. Japan’s materials industry has had success with carbon fibers. Aircraft makers increasingly substitute carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics for aluminum alloys in wings andRead more→

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Researchers here have made a discovery in materials science that sounds like something from the old Saturday morning cartoon Super Friends: They’ve found a way to deactivate “nano twins” to improve the high-temperature properties of superalloys that are used in jet engines. The advance could speed the development of powerful and environmentally friendly turbine engines of all sorts, including those used for transportation and power generation. The “nano twins” in question are microscopic defects that grow inside alloys and weaken them, allowing them to deform under heat and pressure. In the journal Nature Communications, engineers at The Ohio State University describe how tailoring an alloy’s composition and then exposing it to high heat and pressure can not only prevent nanoRead more→

本报讯（记者柯兵 实习生鲜孟芝 通讯员韦德满）华中科技大学一项世界领先技术智能微铸锻技术引来金凤凰。昨日，全球最大的民用飞机制造巨头——空中客车公司与武汉天昱智能制造有限公司在华中科技大学签署了科研项目合作协议，这是空客公司首次与湖北校企开展合作。此次签署的科研合作项目主要围绕“智能微铸锻铣复合制造”技术（简称“智能微铸锻”技术）展开，该项技术是金属3D打印技术中的一种，由华中科技大学数字装备与技术国家重点实验室张海鸥教授及其团队历经10多年研发而成。 目前，该技术取得了全球革命性突破，实现了中国首超西方Read more→