Plane sailing: Titanium-made aircraft may give China new edge in aviation as scientists develop method to make pure metal better than alloys
Scientists say new material could make Chinese aeroplanes 10 per cent tougher than Western rivals, and safer to boot, but same tech may find initial applications in surgery, implants
A breakthrough in material science could help China make large aircraft that are at least 10 per cent tougher than their foreign competitors, with significantly less chance of metal fatigue, according to Chinese scientists.
The technology can make pure metal, such as titanium, stronger than the best alloys in use today while maintaining a high level of elasticity to “prevent catastrophic failure during service,” the research team said.
They published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
“It would be very possible for a big [Chinese] aircraft to use our new material. That’s the purpose of our research,” said Professor Wu Xiaolei, a lead scientist of the project who works with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Mechanics.
“A wholly titanium plane would not only be stronger, but stay longer in service, be more fuel efficient with significant weight reduction, and much, much cheaper to build,” he added.