Moon to bone: Superelastic alloy withstands extreme -450°F to 500°F temperatures – Interesting Engineering

The alloy’s superelasticity across a wide temperature range makes it highly suitable for extreme environments such as deep space.a day agoa day ago2 days ago2 days ago2 days ago2 days ago2 days ago3 days ago3 days ago3 days ago11 minutes agoan hour agoan hour ago3 hours ago3 hours ago4 hours ago5 hours ago5 hours ago6 hours ago7 hours agoSrishti GuptaA lightweight flexible alloy for extreme temperatures.Tohoku UniversityIndustrial technology specialists at Tohoku University have come up with a new superelastic alloy of titanium and aluminum that is both light and strong, with the additional benefit of flexibility. While conventional shape-memory alloys only function in a limited temperature range, this new material has superelasticity from the temperature of liquid helium at -452.2 °F to 500 °F (−269 °C to +127 °C).Sheng Xu, an Assistant Professor at Tohoku University’s Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, emphasized the importance of the alloy’s wide operational temperature range. “This alloy is the first of its kind to maintain superelasticity at such an extreme range of temperatures while remaining lightweight and strong, which opens up a variety of practical applications that were not possible before,” stated Sheng.“The alloy’s properties make it ideal for future space missions, such as creating superelastic tires for lunar rovers to navigate the extreme temperature fluctuations on the Moon’s surface.”The conventional shape memory materials have one major drawback: they are not usable in extreme conditions due to only being economically useful within specific temperatures. The titanium aluminum alloy superelastics developed at Tohto University help solve this challenge. Such materials withstand much more extreme temperatures.“This discovery not only sets a new standard for superelastic materials but also introduces new principles for material design, which will undoubtedly inspire further breakthroughs in materials science,” Xu said.The newly developed Ti-Al-Cr shape-memory alloy is part of the titanium alloy family, known for being lightweight, strong, biocompatible, and resistant to corrosion. What makes this alloy particularly exciting is its ability to maintain superelasticity across a wide temperature range, making it highly suitable for extreme environments such as deep space and deep-sea exploration.In space missions, materials must endure harsh conditions while remaining functional. Current superelastic tires made from nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) for upcoming Moon and Mars missions have limited temperature ranges, which could affect their durability. The Ti-Al-Cr alloy overcomes this issue, offering an operational window of about 400 K, which means it stays flexible and strong across a broader range of temperatures. This makes it a promising material for use in lunar and Martian exploration vehicles.Beyond space applications, this alloy also has medical potential. It has a low stiffness (Young’s modulus of about 30 GPa), which is closer to that of human bone compared to conventional titanium alloys. This means it could be useful for biomedical implants that need to integrate well with the human body.Another key advantage of the Ti-Al-Cr alloy is that it uses more abundant and cost-effective elements like aluminum (Al) and chromium (Cr), unlike other shape-memory alloys that rely on rarer and more expensive materials such as nickel (Ni) and niobium (Nb). This could lead to lower production costs and a reduced environmental impact when manufactured on a large scale.With its strength, flexibility, and affordability, the Ti-Al-Cr alloy has huge potential for various industries, from space technology and ocean exploration to medical implants and energy-efficient applications. Because it can be produced using existing titanium manufacturing methods, it may be readily adapted for large-scale use, paving the way for next-generation lightweight materials with multifunctional capabilities.Srishti Gupta Srishti studied English literature at the University of Delhi and has since then realized it’s not her cup of tea. She has been an editor in every space and content type imaginable, from children’s books to journal articles. She enjoys popular culture, reading contemporary fiction and nonfiction, crafts, and spending time with her cats. With a keen interest in science, Srishti is particularly drawn to beats covering medicine, sustainability, gene studies, and anything biology-related.Stay up-to-date on engineering, tech, space, and science news with The Blueprint.By clicking sign up, you confirm that you accept this site’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policya day agoa day ago2 days ago2 days agoPremiumIE PROFollow

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/superelastic-alloy-withstands-extreme-temperatures