Patent — available for licensing
Self-Healing Aluminum Metal Matrix Composite (MMC)
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Fatigue endurance is critical for the airworthiness of civilian and military aging aircraft and for long-duration flight and deep space missions. Estimates are that 90% of structure failures are due to fatigue. NASA has developed a new metal matrix composite (MMC) that can repair itself from large fatigue cracks that occur during the service life of a structure. This novel liquid-assisted MMC recovers the strength of the structure after a healing cycle. The MMC contains both shape memory alloy (SMA) reinforcements and some low-melting phase components which, when heated, essentially clamp the crack edges back together and flow material into the crack's gap for a high strength repair. While current crack repair methods exist, such as doublers or welding overlays, these methods require complex surface prep and bonding, which can be difficult and may result in a region of decreased strength. The new material allows for the repair of fatigue cracks without additional materials or human interaction.