Metal-matrix composites for powertrains

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) metallurgist Pradeep Rohatgi has begun commercializing self-lubricating metal matrix composites that could cut friction in internal combustion engines, reducing gasoline use and emissions.

“The federal mandates to reduce carbon emissions and increase fuel efficiency could be the incentives that finally help these composites into the marketplace,” says engineering alumnus Chris Jordan, who worked in Rohatgi’s lab as an undergraduate and has joined Rohatgi’s startup Intelligent Composites.

Rohatgi pioneered the metal matrix composites in the 1970s while working for the International Nickel Co.’s U.S. lab. An official at General Motors suggested the lab develop a lightweight alternative to cast iron to reduce engine weight. But metal matrix composites were complicated to mass-produce, and automakers balked at the cost. Rohatgi persevered.

“These composites can give old-line manufacturing the means to produce new, high-tech products that industries can’t find anywhere else,” Rohatgi says.

Rohatgi and collaborator David Weiss spent years testing composites at Manitowoc, Wisconsin’s Eck Industries, where Weiss is vice president of engineering. They resolved compatibility issues and devised a method to mass-produce composites in foundries, bringing down the cost.

“For years, Pradeep used to come to Eck, and we were trying to understand how we could scale up some of his inventions,” says Weiss, who is also acting CEO for Intelligent Composites. “What was missing was a business that could take the materials into production and sell them.”

According to the team’s market research, engine and vehicle manufacturers facing stricter federal emissions regulations would consider cost-competitive methods that reduced fuel consumption by as little as 1%. Prototypes of a rotary engine with a self-lubricating composite reduce fuel consumption 35% compared to traditional rotary engines. Jordan hopes to see similar benefits when applying the composite between pistons and cylinders in traditional internal combustion engines.

Robert Hathaway, vice president of global technology – materials and process engineering at military and commercial vehicle company Oshkosh Corp., has collaborated on research projects with Rohatgi for two decades and recently wrote a letter supporting Intelligent Composites’ bid for a Small Business Technology Transfer grant.

“These materials have commercial merit,” Hathaway says. “Should Intelligent Composites achieve the goals outlined in the federal grant application, Oshkosh Corp. would be interested in giving this technology a closer look.”

Weiss says the startup is showing parts to OEMs and allowing them to evaluate the potential for fuel savings. The Intelligent Composites team granted 1% equity in the startup to the UWM Research Foundation.

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