Boeing invests in nano-ceramic particle reinforced aluminum

Greg Hyslop, Boeing's chief technology officer, believes that materials and algorithms will dominate the second century of aviation industry development. Boeing’s latest acquisition and venture capital confirm this assertion.

After agreeing to acquire Aurora Flight Science, an autonomous systems leader, Boeing is investing in its aluminum alloy developer, gamma alloys, through its Horizon X Innovations venture capital investment.

Gamma, based in Valencia, Calif., is the first company to invest in materials in Horizon X following the hybrid launch aircraft developer Zunum Aero, wearable augmented reality device developer Upskill, and artificial intelligence developer Spark Cognition. the company.

Gamma was founded in 2008 and is currently developing a lightweight, high-strength, nanoparticle reinforced aluminum matrix composite (MMC). The company said that the use of ceramic particles reinforced aluminum alloy matrix can improve the stiffness and wear resistance, compared with existing materials, this material can work in a wider temperature range with higher strength.

Mark Sommer, CEO of Gamma, stated that Boeing's investment will help Gamma explore the application of aerospace, accelerate the development of nanoparticle materials and the full industrialization of its manufacturing process. Metal matrix composites are castable, and Gamma says they can provide different forms of materials, from extruded rods to machined parts.

In the Gamma manufacturing process, aluminum metal powders and alumina-ceramic nanoparticles are mixed together, and the resulting metal matrix composite powders are hot pressed and solidified into ingots. Nanoparticles form precipitates within the metal, providing higher strength and hardness. The ingot will be extruded into bars or plates that can be subsequently forged, rolled or machined.