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Exceptionally strong and lightweight new metal could make lighter aircraft.
A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has created a super-strong yet light structural metal with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new metal is composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic silicon carbide nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter airplanes, spacecraft, and cars, helping to improve fuel efficiency (www.sciencedaily.com) Más...
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Right ever see one of those engines burn? The 3350TC had a magnesium power recover section that would light off once in a while. Talk to some old I think TWA pilots about it. Said a newby flight engineer would about have the big one when it happened.
Don't assume that this material (magnesium ceramic nanocomposite) is as flammable as magnesium metal. The materials science world is very excited about this breakthrough, even though Flightaware members, by their votes, don't appear to be very impressed!
You must have read the article, as did I. Any alloy that is 86% any base metal will assume most of the characteristics of that base metal. Magnesium burns viciously, like LI batteries. It also has a propensity toward intergranular corrosion. I guess we'll wait and see how that turns out. You really don't see much of it in day to day aerospace for these and several other reasons. And the materials science guys, kinda like the rest of the "let's consume the whole world society", is excited by whatever they think they can sell. JMHO
Didn't say it was did I? I stated from the post above only and by the way magnesium is a terrible material to use on aircraft skin. Don't know how this stuff they are talking about does but look at Beechcraft way back as they used it for control surfaces and it didn't work out too well. Saw many that were eaten away to the point of holes in them.
My reply was to Colin and the Bonanza and Baron ailerons and tail feathers were one of the things I was thinking about. No disagreement intended. Cheers.
I don't disagree either. I couldn't find anything which has been published yet on the ignition temperature or corrosion resistance, but in due course it will be. Materials science has been one of the critical drivers in aircraft design from duralumin in 1916 to carbon fiber in 1968 and today's advanced composites used in the 787 and A350 airframes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOpsB5n9DZ8