Patent — available for licensing
GRC103y: Nano-Yttria Strengthened C103 for Additive Manufacturing
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
High-temperature aerospace applications demand materials that maintain exceptional strength and creep resistance in extreme thermal environments. The commercially available niobium-based C103 alloy has traditionally served these applications due to its high-temperature capabilities and formability. However, C103's excellent formability comes at the cost of reduced high-temperature strength, limiting its performance potential. Additionally, conventional oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys, while offering superior high-temperature properties, require resource-intensive mechanical alloying processes that are time-consuming, costly, and incompatible with complex geometries needed for modern aerospace systems. In response to this challenge, engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center developed an enhanced C103 alloy strengthened with nano-scale yttria, designated GRC103y. This innovation combines the proven C103 composition with uniformly dispersed nano-yttria particles via a novel powder coating and laser-based additive manufacturing process. GRC103y delivers significant performance improvements at high temperatures while maintaining superior thermal stability and compatibility with both additive and traditional manufacturing methods.