The jet engine is the most complex element of an aircraft and one of the most complex human-made products ever developed, housing thousands of individual components — and ultimately determining fuel efficiency for aircraft All turbines operate on similar principles: A gas or other fluid turns a rotor, which …
Read More »Single-crystal turbine blade technology for aero engines, dominated by US now mastered by China and India
In 2018, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) named the Pratt & Whitney single crystal turbine blade an historic mechanical engineering landmark. These blades, which can be found in many modern, high-performance gas turbines (a.k.a. jet engines)—including the ones powering the F-22 Raptor, and larger electricity-producing turbines—are grown from a …
Read More »Superconducting (SC) materials enable light-weight and energy efficient electric propulsion system for Aircrafts, ships and satellites to future interplanetary missions
A new power revolution is going on in orbit – that of electrical propulsion for satellites. An ion thruster is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. It creates thrust by accelerating ions with electricity. As the ionised particles escape from the aircraft, they generate a force moving …
Read More »Bio-ethylene (bio-based ethylene)
Ethylene is a hidden organic chemical that is crucial to modern human life. It is hidden because it is a precursor to products used in most households worldwide but not sold directly to consumers. For example, ethylene is the chemical base for polyethylene (PET) bottles, car parts, buckets, pipes, and …
Read More »Metal 3D Printing
Additive manufacturing (AM), broadly known as 3D printing, is transforming how products are designed, produced, and serviced. AM enables on-demand production without dedicated equipment or tooling, unlocks digital design tools, and offers breakthrough performance and unparalleled flexibility across industries. Metal 3D printing is considered the apex of all 3D …
Read More »DARPA MACH & HEAT developing rugged high temperature materials RF radome & IR window for hypersonic vehicles
The era of hypersonic flight had arrived. Countries are developing future hypersonic Spaceplanes , enabling intercontinental travel at very high speeds, that could cut the journey times from the UK to Australia from the current duration of around 20 hours to as little as two hours. They shall also provide …
Read More »Rising Stealth coating market with Rising applications in military weapons, submarines, and vehicles
Stealth technology has proven to be one of the effective approaches to enhance the survivability of Aircrafts. Aircraft/helicopter designers are making them stealthier by reducing their signatures; viz. visual, aural, infrared (IR), and RADAR cross section. Advancements in stealth technologies, as demonstrated by the very low RCS of stealth aircraft …
Read More »Optimized Alkaline anion exchange membranes ( AAEMs) enhance efficiency of alkaline exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), that convert fuels to electricity using nonplatinum electrode catalysts.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the environmental impacts of energy have posed a concern. Recently, this has driven researchers to search for viable options for clean and renewable energy sources. Due to its affordability and environmental friendliness, hydrogen is a feasible alternative to fossil fuels for energy applications. However, due to its …
Read More »Electronic thermal management materials (ETMM) ensure performance and reliability for Mission-Critical Military Ground, Sea, Air and Space systems
The past few decades have seen an escalation of power densities in electronic devices, and in particular in microprocessor chips. Together with the continuing trend of reduction in device dimensions this has led to dramatic increase in the thermal issues within electronic circuits. The electrons, in their passage through the …
Read More »Smart photonic materials
The world population is estimated to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Ensuring an adequate food supply for such a large number of people would be challenging enough for agriculture. But climate change is putting even more pressure on farmers, agricultural companies, and crop scientists to protect plants from the effects …
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