> Aluminum rotors could increase the RPM and HP of
the
> rotary by 150%.
> > > RTI Helps Technology Transfer of NASA Aluminum
Alloy
> to Improve Evinrude Outboard Motors
> > RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- A long-standing
> partnership between RTI International
> and the National Aeronautics and Space
> Administration (NASA) has again helped to bring
> breakthrough NASA technology to market. A NASA
> invention that can make outboard engines
> quieter and cleaner, and that provides better fuel
> mileage and increased durability,
> has been adapted for commercial use by a major
> international corporation.
> > The Boats and Outboard Engines Division at
> Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) of
> Sturtevant, Wis., has begun using NASA's patented
> high-strength aluminum alloy for
> pistons in its new Evinrude® E-TEC? outboard
engine
> line.
> > RTI International, working with NASA's Marshall
> Space Flight Center's Technology
> Transfer Department, played a key role in bringing
> BRP and NASA together and in
> brokering the agreement. The license agreement
> between BRP and NASA was signed in July 2003.
> > The alloy, developed at NASA's Marshall Space
Flight
> Center in Huntsville, Ala.,
> is used in a new piston design that reduces the
> so-called "slapping" sound when
> pistons slide up and down in the engine's
cylinder.
> The alloy can greatly improve
> piston durability because it is two and half times
> stronger than conventional cast
> aluminum pistons at high temperature and can be
> produced with a material cost of
> less than $1 per pound. It exhibits dramatic
> strength at temperatures as high as
> 500 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
> > Development of the NASA high-strength aluminum
alloy
> began seven years ago when
> a major automobile manufacturer approached NASA
> seeking a solution to reduce the
> costs of aluminum engine pistons as well as lower
> engine emissions. NASA was also
> interested in developing an alloy with higher
> strength and wear-resistance at
> elevated temperatures for aerospace applications.
> > The result was the discovery of what would become
> the basis for a new aluminum
> alloy, MSFC-398 or NASA High-Strength Aluminum
> Alloy. With commercial guidance
> from RTI, the NASA Technology Transfer Partnership
> introduced MSFC-398 during
> the 2001 National Manufacturing Week show in
> Chicago.
> > BRP then met with NASA in April 2002, the
prototypes
> were complete by July,
> and the final product was ready in February 2003.
> "We worked very closely with
> NASA to refine the details," said Bob Young, vice
> president of product development
> for BRP. "The demands of the outboard engine are
> more significant than any other
> engine NASA had encountered, even those in the
auto
> industry. The team from NASA
> was on the fast-track, learned all the
intricacies,
> and delivered an outstanding product.
> > Jonathan Lee (of Marshall Center's Materials,
> Processes, and Manufacturing Department),
> who co-invented the alloy with PoShou Chen (of
> Morgan Research Corp.), said, "The
> usual cycle for developing this type of technology
> from the research stage to the
> development phase, and finally into a commercial
> product phase, may take several
> years and more than a $1 million investment. In
this
> case, it has occurred in less
> than four years at a fraction of the cost."
> > "This is another outstanding example of NASA's
> Innovative Technology Transfer
> Partnerships (ITTP) program at work with a variety
> of industries to move the
> benefits of aerospace technology to the public and
> private sectors while supporting
> NASA's goal of improving life on Earth," said
Sammy
> Nabors, commercial technology
> lead in the Marshall Center's Technology Transfer
> Department..
> RTI and NASA
> > RTI supports NASA's ITTP program by
> >      * Identifying NASA-developed technologies
with
> commercial potential
>      * Understanding the value proposition a
> technology offers to various markets
>      * Attracting partners by communicating the
> opportunity to develop a
>        commercial product based on NASA's
> intellectual property
>      * Supporting negotiations and execution of
> agreements to
>        enable successful commercial
implementation.
> > Molly O'Donovan Dix, a technology
commercialization
> specialist and engineer
> at RTI, worked directly with NASA MSFC to develop
> the partnership with BRP
> and continues to help NASA license the technology.
> She is helping NASA develop
> a sophisticated licensing plan for the family of
> alloys that includes the
> MSFC-398 material. In addition to MSFC-398, the
> hyper-eutectic form of the
> alloy, NASA is also licensing the eutectic form as
> MSFC-388 and the hypo-eutectic
> form as MSFC-358. Limited-term exclusive licenses
> are being granted in niche
> applications (heat exchangers, small engine
> applications, etc.) to enable
> partners to protect their required development
> investment. Non-exclusive
> licenses are available for automotive pistons and
> cylinders.
>
paul,

here is a copy of the patent, very interesting. it
also  discusses the possibility of using the alloy
with ceramic additives in a metal matrix composite.

gary from midland

According to my pdf reader that is not a pdf
My pdf reader thinks it is plain text. Also the size
is 185
bytes which also indicates it is not a pdf.

Try reading it with yours.

BTW how long have you lived in Midland?

Paul Lamar

Sorry about that paul, i tried sending it through
yahoo with  javascript turned off, try this one it
should work.

i was born in midland, lived here my whole life except
for a few years in the army i spent in korea and ft.
campbell kentucky.

gary from midland

That did not work either. Same problem.

I used to live there and worked for Jim Hall.