Studying Material's Atomic Structure and Performance Using Neutrons Studying Material's Atomic Structure and Performance Using Neutrons

Sunday ، 16 September 2018

Scientists used neutrons to examine the performance of a new aluminum alloy in a gasoline-powered engine, in a first-of-a-kind experiment, while the engine was in operation.

Researchers used neutrons to probe a running engine at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, giving them the opportunity to test an aluminum-cerium alloy under operating conditions. From left, researchers Orlando Rios, Ke An, and Lt. Eric Stromme show off a cylinder head made from the new alloy. (Credit: ORNL)

A research team from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory collaborated with industry partners to conduct the test, which studied whether a high-performance alloy that is promising for automotive applications survived under the heat and stress of an internal combustion engine.

The feat was a first for the Spallation Neutron Source, said Ke An, Chief Instrument Scientist for the facility’s VULCAN instrument. “This was the first time an internal combustion engine has been run on our diffractometer, and, as far as we know, on any other,” he stated.