Chinese scientists recently announced the development of a technology that can significantly improve the heat resistance of aluminum alloys. This breakthrough will solve a major challenge that has long limited the use of light metals in important fields such as aerospace and transportation.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, a team of scientists from Tianjin University developed the new technology by injecting nanoparticles into ordinary aluminum alloys. They created a reinforced aluminum alloy that performs well even at very high temperatures.
New aluminum alloy resists high temperatures and makes production more convenient.
The Xinhua report describes the properties that manufacturers cherish for aluminum alloys, such as low density, high specific strength and corrosion resistance. But until now, aluminum alloys have limited heat resistance, usually operating at around 350 degrees Celsius or 662 degrees Fahrenheit. Above 400 degrees Celsius, their mechanical properties rapidly degrade, greatly limiting the use of aluminum in aviation design.
The report quoted a scientist as saying that the new alloy is not only easy to mass produce, but also crucial to the aerospace industry. It is well known that aircraft, rockets and spacecraft encounter a lot of atmospheric friction. In addition, they often need to operate in high-temperature environments. This new technology will enable the application of aluminum components in situations where they could not be used before.
Searching for a better aluminum alloy
The team at the university published their research results in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Materials in April this year. According to the South China Morning Post, the results of mixing ceramic particles with the alloy to create an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy exceeded expectations. In fact, about two years ago, NASA launched a similar technology to produce a nickel-based alloy GRX-810 that can withstand temperatures of up to 1093 degrees Celsius. The report also cited NASA's website, saying that this method greatly enhances the strength and life of components used in aviation and aerospace.
Oxide dispersion strengthening alloys have been successfully used in the manufacture of metals such as iron, molybdenum, nickel and tungsten using chemical processing technology. However, due to the high oxidizability of metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium and zirconium, commercially available oxide dispersion strengthening alloys are still less in the manufacture of metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium and zirconium, because these difficult-to-reduce metals face challenges in extraction.
To address this problem, the university researchers prepared 5-nanometer magnesium oxide particles and used a powder metallurgy process to distribute these particles in an aluminum matrix, achieving 8% volume. This progress paves the way for the application of aluminum alloys in high-temperature environments, which is expected to enable it to compete with certain titanium alloys while providing lighter weight.
China is one of the world's largest aluminum consumers, and its industry has recently accelerated the development of green power aluminum. By using more green energy in electrolytic aluminum production, the industry hopes to make significant progress in reducing carbon emissions. It also hopes to actively promote the differentiation of green power aluminum from non-green power aluminum.
