Novel manufacturing pathway for nanocomposite steel wires

Metal matrix composites (MMC) with carbon nanotubes (CNT) are known to have improved properties compared to unreinforced metals such as specific strength, fatigue resistance and wear behavior which are key properties of interest for landing gear purchase cables. In comparison to aluminum or copper-based CNT-composite wires, steel-based CNT-composite wires are quite challenging to produce as they typically require high temperatures in extrusion which result in CNT degradation.  Under this STTR program, QuesTek Innovations LLC (QuesTek), will team with Colorado School of Mines (Mines), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and aim to develop a novel cost-effective manufacturing pathway capable of producing nanocomposite steel wire without severely degrading CNTs. The target will be achieved by combining integrated computational material engineering (ICME)-based design, process optimization at QuesTek, nanocomposite wire prototyping and characterization at Mines and manufacturing scale-up with PNNL.