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Super Materials Arrive at Comic Con

By atesmeh | July 6, 2015

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Where do super powers come from? For Superman, it was his Kryptonian body that allowed him to harvest energy from the sun and obtain super strength. For Batman, it was his superior technology that allowed him to best his opponents.

But truth can be stranger than fiction. New supermaterials developed by GE scientists – like “super” ceramics called CMCs  that can work inside a jet engine, fourth-generation carbon fiber composites and water-repellent, or superhydrophobic coatings – bestow what seems like superpowers on everything from jet engines to wind turbines and  power plants. (GE calls this idea of sharing the same advanced technologies between different products and businesses the GE store.)

The LEAP is the bestselling engine in GE Aviation’s history and the first jet engine with CMC parts. Image credit: GE Reports/Adam Senatori

Obviously, GE is not developing materials with super properties just for the thrill of it. The company has spent billions of dollars to come up with materials like CMCs  and uses them to get a competitive edge.

For example, the LEAP jet engine, the world’s first engine with CMC parts, has already become the bestselling jet engine in GE history, even though it won’t enter service until 2016. The engine was developed by CFM International, a joint company between GE and France’s Snecma (Safran), and CFM has received orders for 9,550 LEAP engines valued at $134 billion, to date.

But big business doesn’t mean the company can’t have little fun with the materials. That’s why GE decided to create a new class of superheroes based on the materials’ qualities.

The company timed the coming out party for the characters, which include Captain CMC, the Carbon Fiber Crusader, and the Super Hydrophobic Woman, for Comic-Con International, the World’s Fair for comics lovers starting this week in San Diego.

Take a look at the graphics below to learn more about these characters and the stuff they are made of.

Engineer Nick Cray squats next to a carbon fiber composite blade for the GE90 engine. The material allowed GE to build the world’s largest and most powerful jet engine. The blade is now part of the design collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Image credit: GE Reports

Hydrophobic materials have applications across many industries, from aviation to wind power. GIF credits: GE Reports


Filed Under: Materials • advanced

 

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