Macro Photographs of 3D Print of NASA Meatball - Made out of GRX-810, an Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) High Temperature Alloy
NASA has unveiled a breakthrough 3D printing material with high heat resistance that could lead to stronger and more durable parts for aircraft and spacecraft. A team of scientists from NASA and Ohio State University described the properties of a new alloy, GRX-810, in a scientific paper published in the journal Nature. Superalloy, invented by Dr. Tim Smith and Christopher Kantzos, has the potential to significantly improve the strength and hardness of components and parts used in aerospace and space exploration.
Smith and his team used computer modeling and a 3D laser printing process that bonded the metals together layer by layer to create a new alloy. GRX-810 is an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy where fine particles containing oxygen atoms distributed throughout the alloy increase its strength. Such alloys are excellent materials for high-temperature aerospace parts, such as aircraft and rocket engine interiors, as they can withstand harsher conditions before they reach their critical point.
Today, state-of-the-art superalloy 3D prints can withstand temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to them, GRX-810 is twice as strong, over 1000 times more durable and twice as resistant to oxidation.
“This new alloy is a huge achievement,” said Dale Hopkins, assistant project manager for Transformational Tools and Technologies at NASA. “In the very near future, it could turn out to be one of the most successful technology patents produced by NASA Glenn.”
The team of co-authors on the Nature paper came from the Glenn Research Center, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Ohio State University. The GRX-810 was developed by NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies project with support from the Game Changing Development Program. The new material has the potential to significantly impact the future of the aerospace industry, enabling the production of stronger and more efficient components in these sectors.
Source: www.nasa.gov
Photo: www.nasa.gov (press materials / all rights reserved)