This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop lightweight titanium engine components for fuel efficiency. The use of advanced titanium-based metal matrix composite materials can significantly improve automotive fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The titanium metal matrix composites also can reduce engine vibration. Reduction in vehicle weight results from the substitution of lighter weight titanium for steel and also from the significantly reduced vibration management system needed for reciprocating weight. The major barriers to the adoption of titanium for automobile engine components has been its poor wear resistance and high cost. The proposed energy efficient manufacturing process can produce these titanium components at lower cost than conventional methods. Dynamet's metal matrix composites retain the benefits of titanium (lightweight, high specific strength and corrosion resistance) while overcoming the major barriers to its use. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are improvements to engine fuel efficiency. The proposed technology for reducing engine weight has the potential for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from engines in commercial passenger automobiles and in medium and heavy-duty trucks. The use of the proposed novel materials and manufacturing technology can significantly contribute to the nation's effort to stem climate change and to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign oil. The technology can also apply to off-highway engines, non-engine automotive applications and to military ground vehicles
