The basic salary of all other frames will be reduced by 5They discuss the future of the Kyoto Protocol after 2012But at the time the project seems to AngelAnd then there is the emotional dimensionIt's my left side pleasant Nicolas SarkozyThis news should delight the antimarchésAt the time its use was confined for years to injectionmolded partsAt Big Blue this language is already old5 this year unlike the rest of the countryRemains that the fullscale experiment will startUse new technologies to revolutionize alloys. This is the strategy of innovation that has decided to adopt the minerals and metals sector. The Federation of ores, industrial minerals and metals (Fedem), which met in Paris recently for its annual symposium, has conditioned the competitiveness of its members for this approach to investment in research and development.
Materials of heavy industry continue to gain complexity and specialization. Since the 1980s, metal alloys withstand the assault of composite materials, long promised to replace them. More than 18,000 different alloys are created and the formulations are more pointed. Alain Robert, Eramet, evokes the new aluminum alloy used in the new A400M military aircraft with 6 different ores. The previous generation did not exceed 4-5 different components. Indeed, the rivalry of metals and composites is slightly exceeded as the most innovative materials are sandwiches of the two families. The glare of aluminum and fiberglass colonizes almost a quarter of the A380. Classical metal has progressed significantly in strength. They continue to gain also lightness with the progression of the magnesium, one-third lighter than aluminum.
Titanium, yet more powerful, could develop new methods of direct production which would reduce its cost until then reserved for confidential applications.
With Alcan, Jean-Philippe Cael, Chairman of the domestic transport and industry, said that their last aluminium alloy, sealium, to win 20 of mass over the previous generation. The US Navy is evaluating a fast catamaran from the Australian Incat which uses the sealium. Improvement of processes, such as friction welding, opens these materials sophisticated new markets such as the railway.
Improving recycling
"The new Cathedral, the corrosion protection, we want to develop stainless metals." "The American Defense, or Airbus, finance of large programmes of research on the topic" says Alain Robert. For him, the revolution of these technologies is based on mathematical modelling. Its teams have such finely simulated filling the mould of parts that Eramet provides for the A380. This work also led to consisting of vacuum remelting process to consolidate an alloy to restructure and improve its homogeneity.
Like other sciences, metallurgy seeks to work on smaller scales of the matter. By mastering a finer structure, researchers are able to reconcile two earlier conflicting alloy qualities such as mechanical strength and thermal conducting. However, the metallurgy is not on the edge of the upstream research. Alain Robert agrees with honesty this discipline not yet seized nanotechnology, yet promising. Only a few attempts of sintering of titanium Nano proved conclusive. Great advances are still possible.
Beyond their traditional industrial customers, the mine are now the high-tech eldorado by small specialty metals. New technologies use more in addition to these previously confidential materials. A computer already contains more than 30 different metals. Mobile made out of Earth of the tons of tantalum for capacitors or germanium for radio components while flat devour Indium.
In the field of energy, François-Gabriel wild, Eramet, being particularly on the development of the nickel metal hydride batteries to boost the production of nickel. Sights include the son of high power tools and hybrid cars (ten kilograms of nickel per vehicle). Also include batteries of electric bikes, weighing 4 kg and now able to relieve the cyclist for 40 kilometres.
Christian Hocquard, BRGM, describes that superalloys use more specific minerals such as cobalt. The blades of the more powerful reactors include even of rhenium, a complex material that represents 80 of the price of the Superalloy for 6 of its mass only.
In Unicore, it has found a way to diversify the applications of expensive germanium. This semiconductor substrate was used for very high performance space photovoltaic cells so far. Egbert Lox, responsible for R & D group, explains target terrestrial applications retaining cells of small dimensions through the use of optical magnifiers loaded to concentrate the Sun's rays.
In the next few years, some small metals will break into the limelight. Gallium (light-emitting diodes) in particular should fly the heading tungsten (filaments) in lighting. The upstream work on magnetic refrigeration may require very sophisticated alloys, ceramics or rare.
Finally, the mining sector will be the economy of the deep question of recycling of materials which will require many innovations. Aluminum already shown in the example by ease of recycling which consumes only 5 of the energy of its production. An asset which pushed Alcan to préusiner the veins of the wings for the A380 to enhance site chips of aluminum.
