High Temperature Materials

Materials with high temperature capabilities, widely used in energy, power, chemical, aviation and automotive industries, are fundamental to our society and economy. Especially in recent years, the operating conditions become more and more demanding and new materials are required.

The High Temperature Materials group at the Institute of General Materials Properties carries out research on various advanced metallic and intermetallic materials for high temperature applications. Our research focuses on the correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties mainly of new Nickel- and Cobalt-base superalloys, Titanium aluminides, eutectic in-situ composites and protective coatings.

The group collaborates closely with partners from aviation and automotive industry and academia.  Several projects are embedded in the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center SFB/Transregio 103 “From Atoms to Turbine Blades” and Priority Programme “Compositionally Complex Alloys – High Entropy Alloys (CCA-HEA)”.

Dr.-Ing. Steffen Neumeier

Group Leader High Temperature Materials

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

Dr. Ashton Egan, Ph.D.

PostDoc

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

Julian Völkl, M. Sc.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

Jakob Bandorf

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

Jan Vollhüter, M. Sc.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

Oliver Nagel, M. Sc.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chair of General Materials Properties

The in-situ composites NiAl-(Cr,Mo) and Nb-Si-Cr are promising high temperature materials. The intermetallic-based eutectic materials exhibit low density, high melting point, and offer good heat conductivity and oxidation resistance. However, a low room temperature fracture toughness and insufficient creep strength at high temperatures have both been limiting their application. This project seeks for strategies to improve those disadvantages and investigates the potential of this material group.
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The scientific objective of this project is to investigate the local mechanical properties of single crystalline Nickel- and Cobalt-base superalloys at ambient and elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the influence of hierarchical microstructures and different alloying elements on the strength of the γ and γ′ phase as well as the influence of local inhomogeneities are analyzed.
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Superalloys count to the group of hight temperature materials and are an important part of aeroplane engines and stationary gas turbines. A steady improvement of these materials is of high importance, to reduce costs, increase efficiency and reduce weight for future applications.
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The γ′-hardened Co-base superalloys are a rather novel class of materials (only discovered in 2006). However, its fundamental characteristics are similar to those of Ni-base superalloys, which are known for more than 60 years. Ni-base superalloys are especially used as turbine blades or disks in aircraft engines und stationary gas turbines. In the regions of highest gas temperatures, they are mainly used as single crystals.
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With the European Green Deal, the Commission of the European Union (EU) has set itself the ambitious task of combining the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with the sustainable conversion of European industry to a climate-neutral economy. Within this framework, hydrogen has been highlighted as essential to solving the problems and developing Europe’s energy systems.
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