Profil Title	Micro-porous alloys for aeronautical applications
Reference Nr.	08 IT 53Z7 0J4R
Country of origin	Italy
Profil Type	Offer
Entry/Update	2008-11-08 / 2009-10-14

Abstract	An Italian company, active in production and marketing of innovative technologies, developed an electro-deposition method for complex (ternary, quaternary,...) metal alloys with uniform dispersion, mass ratios, mechanical properties. It yelds micro-porous structures suited for airfoil boundary layer control and cooling, with resistance to high temperatures, better performances, cheaper manufacturing. Commercial agreement and technical cooperation is sought for development and industrialization.
Details	The technology proposed is a micro-porous structures for airfoil boundary layer control and cooling. Boundary layer control is a well known strategy for improving airfoil performances or for cooling/heating bodies in a stream. It is carried out by equipping such surfaces with holes distributed across the skin of the body, and by injecting or sucking a fluid through it. This technology, named film cooling/heating, is widely adopted in aeronautics/aerospace and gas turbine field. The current technology to fabricate metallic structural elements for airfoils provided with such perforated walls employs mechanical drilling or laser beams to machine the holes. Such old fashion technology presents several drawbacks, among them: high fabricating costs, and mechanical weakening of the body structure, because mechanical drilling or laser operations cause cutting of the metal fibers. As a consequence, the maximum number of holes for surface unit, such as the minimum diameter thereof is limited, so that the efficiency of the technology concerning boundary layer control and cooling/heating on airfoil surfaces does not reach the potential optimal performance. In order to improve boundary layer control and heat transfer on the external surfaces of structural elements, a dramatic advancement is obtained by increasing the number of holes and the density per surface unit thereof, thereby realizing the so called "transpiration effect". Starting from this background, the following is the core of the innovative solution: fabricating structural elements by means of a specific electrolytic electroforming process aimed to realize a transpiration effect thereon. Such process allows carrying out structures being intrinsically equipped with micro-holes, without any need for further processes of tooling. In practice, the invention makes available a micro-porous structure which - as far as the boundary layer control/cooling is concerned - has a configuration which has the effect of overcoming the limitation provided by discrete holes or slits, as it is currently in use. In conclusion, the fluid-dynamics behavior of the invented structures is close to that of transpiration or sweating wall, due to the accomplishment of a very high density of micro-holes. Such structures, in form of shells or inserts, are fabricated by means of a controlled galvanic forming technology (using nickel, nickel based alloys, cobalt based alloys, titanium, etc.). This technology is considerably simpler and cheaper than traditional fabrication methods (melting, molding, machine tool processing) of known holed structures. Moreover from a technological point of view it makes effective solutions being not otherwise obtainable by means of the state-of-the-art techniques (several hundreds of holes per square inch, airfoil complex shapes, etc.). Implementation and testing of a first prototype, specifically a part of a gas turbine combustor liner made of current alloys, has been recently obtained, so that an optimal know-how for this innovative electrolytic electroforming procedure is available. Innovative Aspects: • Self standing components; • Reduction of manufacturing costs; • Reduction of the fabrication tolerances; • Secondary deposition (protective coating, i.e. Platinum-Aluminium diffusion-coating, other alloy with different ductility, etc.); • Simpler than traditional fabrication methods (melting, moulding, machine tool processing); • It makes possible design solutions that cannot be obtained by means of current state-of-the-art techniques 1. Reduction of process and manufacturing costs; 2. Alternative metallurgic processes for fabrication of alloys, fabrication of purified alloys 3. Fields of application: • Aerospace, aeronautics and heavy duty • Turbomachinery and combustion chambers • Automotive (bearings, coatings) • Ferro-Magnetic application • Bio-medical applications • Fabrication of coatings and structural parts.New technologies (photovoltaic layers, protective layers, etc)
Technology sector	- Coatings - Metals and Alloys - Aeronautical technology / Avionics - Heat storage - Wind energy
Market application	- Speciality/performance materials: producers and fabricators - Speciality metals (including processes for working with metals) - Other speciality materials
Stage of development	Available for demonstration
Patent Rights (IPR)	Patent(s) granted
	Patent granted for UK and USA
Cooperation type	- Joint further development - Technical consultancy # Type of partner sought industry, research organisation # Specific area of activity of the partner industrialization in the following fields aerospace, aeronautics, turbomachinery, automotive (bearings, coatings), ferro-magnetic application, bio-medical applications and any sector where porous materials can find application.
Organisation type	Org. Size:
Status	update