ORNL Investigates New Alloy's Engine Performance with 3D Printed Mold and Neutrons

A research team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) worked with several industry partners to use a 3D printed sand mold and neutrons to investigate how a new high-performance aluminum alloy was performing in a running gasoline-powered engine. Neutrons have unique properties that let them penetrate materials, like the aluminum-cerium (Al-Ce) alloy, without causing any damage, so they can give scientists a close look at the details of a material's atomic structure. While neutrons and 3D printing technology have been studied together at ORNL before, using neutrons to check out a material's performance in a running engine was a first for ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) research facility. Read more at 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/183490/neutrons-e...cylinder-head/

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