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Aug 28, 2023

NASA’s Super Alloy: A Breakthrough in 3D Printing Technology

By Brian Newbacher, NASA’s Glenn Research CenterApril 24, 2023 NASA and The Ohio State University have developed a new superalloy that is twice as strong, more than 1,000 times more durable and twice

By Brian Newbacher, NASA’s Glenn Research CenterApril 24, 2023

NASA and The Ohio State University have developed a new superalloy that is twice as strong, more than 1,000 times more durable and twice as resistant to oxidation compared to the state-of-the-art 3D printed superalloys. The breakthrough could lead to stronger and more durable parts for airplanes and spacecraft, as the high-temperature alloy is an excellent candidate to build aerospace parts for high-temperature applications, like those inside aircraft and rocket engines, due to its ability to withstand harsher conditions before reaching its breaking point. Credit: NASA/ Jordan Salkin

NASAEstablished in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is "To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity." Its core values are "safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion." NASA conducts research, develops technology and launches missions to explore and study Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. It also works to advance the state of knowledge in a wide range of scientific fields, including Earth and space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, and it collaborates with private companies and international partners to achieve its goals." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">NASA has developed a new superalloy called GRX-810, which is twice as strong and more than 1,000 times more durable than the state-of-the-art 3D printed superalloys. The high-temperature alloyA mixture of two metallic elements typically used to give greater strength or higher resistance to corrosion." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">alloy could be used to build stronger and more durable parts for airplanes and spacecraft.

NASA has demonstrated a breakthrough in 3D printable high-temperature materials that could lead to stronger, more durable parts for airplanes and spacecraft.

A team of innovators from NASA and The Ohio State University detailed the characteristics of the new alloy, GRX-810, in a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Nature.

“This superalloy has the potential to dramatically improve the strength and toughness of components and parts used in aviation and space exploration,” said Dr. Tim Smith of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, lead author of the Nature paper. Smith and his Glenn colleague Christopher Kantzos invented GRX-810.

Smith and his team employed time-saving computer modeling, as well as a laser 3D printing process that fused metals together, layer-by-layer, to create the new alloy. They used this process to produce the NASA logo pictured above.

This turbine engine combustor (fuel-air mixer) was 3D-printed at NASA Glenn and is one example of a challenging component that can benefit from applying the new GRX-810 alloys. Credit: NASA

GRX-810 is an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy. In other words, tiny particles containing oxygen atoms spread throughout the alloy enhance its strength. Such alloys are excellent candidates to build aerospace parts for high-temperature applications, like those inside aircraft and rocket engines, because they can withstand harsher conditions before reaching their breaking points.

Current state-of-the-art 3D printed superalloys can withstand temperatures up to 2,000 degrees FahrenheitThe Fahrenheit scale is a temperature scale, named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit and based on one he proposed in 1724. In the Fahrenheit temperature scale, the freezing point of water freezes is 32 °F and water boils at 212 °F, a 180 °F separation, as defined at sea level and standard atmospheric pressure. " data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">Fahrenheit. Compared to those, GRX-810 is twice as strong, over 1,000 times more durable, and twice as resistant to oxidation.

“This new alloy is a major achievement,” said Dale Hopkins, deputy project manager of NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies project. “In the very near future, it may well be one of the most successful technology patents NASA Glenn has ever produced.”

A team of contributors from Glenn, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and The Ohio State University co-authored the Nature paper.

GRX-810 was developed under NASA’s Transformational Tools and Technologies project, with support from the agency’s Game Changing Development Program.

Reference: “A 3D printable alloy designed for extreme environments” by Timothy M. Smith, Christopher A. Kantzos, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Bryan J. Harder, Milan Heczko, Paul R. Gradl, Aaron C. Thompson, Michael J. Mills, Timothy P. Gabb and John W. Lawson, 19 April 2023, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05893-0