Hotter Jet Engines Could Lead to Greener Flight

Dean Sigler Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Nano twins are not something Robin Williams’ Mork would make friends with.  They are destructive pairings inside alloys, and getting rid of them will apparently lead to cleaner jet flight.  Ohio State University researchers devised a technique they call “Phase Transformation Strengthening” which leads to stronger alloys and less deformation of the final products. This is good news for jet engine and turbine designers, since an engine that can run hotter will burn its fuel more completely, resulting in a less toxic exhaust.  Nano twins “are microscopic defects that grow inside alloys and weaken them,” according to Ohio State University researchers.  These defects weaken and deform an alloy when it is exposed to heat and pressure – two things present in a jet engine or power turbine. Michael Mills, professor of materials science and engineering and leader of the project at Ohio State, led the research.  “We found that increasing the concentrations of certain elements in super-alloys inhibits the formation …