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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 1 5
8 METALS | POLYMERS | CERAMICS
SUPER CERAMIC MATERIAL
SHOWS PROMISE FOR
AIRCRAFT
General Electric developed a jet
engine for Boeing’s Dreamliner to test
engine parts made of a new ceramic
super-material. The material could help
pave the way to more fuel efficient air-
planes. The temperatures inside jet
engines are so extreme that even parts
from high-end titanium alloys require
an intricate cooling system to work
well. But the new material, called ce-
ramic matrix composite (CMC), requires
20% less cooling air, which allows engi-
neers to extract more power from the
extra heat. “When you drop the need
for cooling components, your engine
will become aerodynamically more effi-
cient and also more fuel efficient,” says
Jonathan Blank, who leads CMC and
advanced polymer matrix composite
research at GE Aviation.
The GEnx jet engine with ceramic
parts is being tested at GE’s hard-core
testing facility in Peebles, Ohio. The
parts include inner and outer com-
bustor liners, high-pressure turbine
stage one shrouds, and stage two noz-
zles. CMC stage one nozzles for the
high-pressure turbine will be tested on
the second build of the demo engine.
CMC has one-third the weight of metal,
and is made from a combination of sili-
con carbide ceramic fibers and ceramic
resin that is sealed together and further
enhanced with proprietary coatings.
NEW POLYMER COULD
PREVENT BLEEDING DEATHS
Administered by a simple shot, a
new polymer called PolySTAT finds any
unseen or internal injuries and starts
working immediately to strengthen
blood clots. The material could be-
come a first line of defense in battle-
field injuries, rural car accidents, and
search and rescue missions. In an ini-
tial study with rats, 100% of animals
injected with the material survived a
typically lethal injury to the femoral
artery, while only 20% treated with a
natural protein that helps blood clot
survived.
“Most patients who die from
bleeding die quickly,” says Nathan
White, assistant professor of emergency
medicine at University of Washington.
“This is something you could potential-
ly put in a syringe inside a backpack and
give right away to reduce blood loss
and keep people alive long enough to
make it to medical care.”
To develop the macromaterial, re-
searchers were inspired by factor XIII, a
natural protein found in the body that
A GEnx-1B engine suspended from a Dreamliner jet. A version of this engine will also
power the next Air Force One. Courtesy of GE Aviation.
Red Brick Brewing Co., Atlanta, is
now offering its beer in aluminum
cans made from Novelis’ (War-
ren, Ohio) evercan—said to be the
world’s first certified high-recycled
content aluminum can sheet. Recy-
cling aluminum requires 95% less
energy and produces 95% fewer
greenhouse gas emissions than pri-
mary manufacturing. ,
.
BRIEFS
Alcoa, Pittsburgh, signed a definitive agreement to acquire RTI Inter-
national Metals Inc., a global supplier of titanium and specialty metal
products and services for the commercial aerospace, defense, energy,
and medical device markets. Alcoa will purchase RTI in a stock-for-stock
transaction with an enterprise value of $1.5 billion. RTI will expand Alcoa’s
range of titanium offerings and add advanced technologies and materials.
, .
Red Brick Brewing introduces Laughing
Skull Amber Ale in evercan aluminum cans.