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6 FEEDBACK Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Wash., increased the conduc- tivity of copper wire by roughly 5%— an advancement that could make a big difference in motor efficiency. The lab then partnered with General Motors to test the enhanced wire for use in vehicle motor components. As part of a cost- shared research project, the team val- idated the increased conductivity and found that the new copper composite also has higher ductility. In terms of oth- er physical properties, it behaved just like regular copper, so it can be weld- ed and subjected to other mechanical stresses with no performance degrada- tion. Applications include any industry that uses copper to move electrical en- ergy, such as power transmission, elec- tronics, electric motors, generators, batteries, and others. Using a novel manufacturing plat- form also developed at PNNL, research- ers added graphene to copper and pro- duced the composite wire. The increase in conductivity compared to pure cop- per is made possible by a new machine that combines and extrudes metal and composite materials, including copper. The lab’s Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) process can improve I must tell you how impressed I am with the many great articles in Advanced Materials & Processes. I am retired, but with each issue I learn something new about the advances being made on the materials front. Don Davis, Sr. October AM&P was a fine issue! I also liked the Nitinol work. I have never seen an inclusion in Nitinol. I enjoy studying other people’s corrosion problems such as the His- toric Monel series ( AM&P September and November/December 2020 is- sues). So many kinds of corrosion on one piece! Of course as a metallur- gist, I would never allow such dam- age to one of my projects. For exam- ple, when my wife died, I carved her grave “stone” of one-inch thick 6-4 titanium. Took me a year and three Dremels. But after 25 years in the ground, it shows no corrosion, nor will it show corrosion after one thou- sand years. Chuck Dohogne Living in a senior home, and in lockdown to our rooms since the first of March, makes each issue of this publication most welcome reading. Ed Sauve RESEARCH TRACKS We welcome all comments and suggestions. Send letters to joanne.miller@asminternational.org . the performance of materials extruded using this new meth- od: Shear force is ap- plied by rotating a metal or composite as it is pushed through a die to create a new form. The energy ef- ficient approach cre- ates internal heating by deforming the met- al, which softens it and allows it to form into wires, tubes, and bars. ShAPE also elim- inates pore spaces while uniformly distributing graphene additives within the metal, which may be the reason for improved electrical conductivity. Research and development en- gineers at General Motors verified that the higher conductivity copper wire can be welded, brazed, and formed in exact- ly the same way as conventional copper wire. This indicates seamless integra- tion with existing motor manufacturing processes. “Higher conductivity copper could be a disruptive approach to light- weighting and increasing efficiency for any electric motor or wireless vehicle charging system,” says Darrell Herling of PNNL’s Energy Processes and Mate- rials Division. ShAPE is part of the lab’s suite of solid phase processing solu- tions for industry. PNNL is interested in collaborating with partners to develop and demonstrate the ShAPE technology for additional applications of high con- ductivity metals. For more information on licensing and collaboration oppor- tunities, contact technology commer- cialization manager Sara Hunt at sara. hunt@pnnl.gov. For more on shear force develop- ments at PNNL, see also the Metals, Polymers, and Ceramics news page in this issue. SHEAR GENIUS BOOSTS COPPER CONDUCTIVITY PNNL’s ShAPE process forms fully consolidated wire, rods, tubes, or other noncircular shapes using powder, flake, machining waste, or solid billet. 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 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1

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