Costs & benefits of bioinspired ceramics vs metallic alloys in aerospace

Abstract

Metallic elements like nickel and aluminium are commonly used in aerospace applications e.g., combustion engines, turbine blades, and other critical engine parts. As technology continues to advance, mankind has been seeking new materials either through the combination of different elements e.g., metal alloys, or inspirations from nature. In recent years, bioinspired composites that replicate microstructures of living organisms caught the aviation industry’s attention and have been studied to replace existing aviation materials. In this report, nacre-like alumina (NLA) which is a bioinspired composite that has nacre-like microstructure inspired from the seashell of the pearl, Nacre will be studied and compared along with other metallic alloys such as the high entropy alloy (HEA), niobium silicide alloy, and nickel-based superalloy, CMSX-8. The report will draw information from published literature available and in-print documents to draw comparisons between NLA and metallic alloys to determine the cost and benefits of the usage of NLA in the fabrication of turbine blades in the turbo engine of aircraft. Performances of these selected materials will be compared; environmental concerns and impacts will also be discussed. NLA has great potential to become the new aviation material but there are still some uncertainties to be addressed. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that the aviation industry looks at NLA thoroughly, solve its uncertainties, and provides new solutions to support the continuous advancement in technologies.