<p><a href="http://businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57801fb48b987d737b9924a0-803-150/ge-digital-industry-insider-article-803x150v7.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57879f654321f102278b7f82-2400/18hourflight.jpg" alt="18HourFlight" data-mce-source="Digital Industry Insider"><p class="source"><span>Digital Industry Insider</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Make sure to check out our playlist at the end of the article, inspired by Qatar Airways' 18-hour flight.</span></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The oil embargo of 1973 was a miserable period when American towns banned Christmas lights to save electricity, billboards urged citizens to "turn off the damn lights" and filling stations dispensed gasoline by appointment only. The crisis got everyone thinking seriously about innovation and energy efficiency. One result: the massive and efficient jet engines that power the world's longest commercial flights today.</span></p><p>Starting on Feb. 1, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/emirates-signs-16-billion-deal-to-service-ge-jet-engines/" target="_blank">Emirates</a> launched the <a href="http://www.emirates.com/english/about/media-centre/2569902/emirates-announces-service-to-panama-city" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.emirates.com/english/about/media-centre/2569902/emirates-announces-service-to-panama-city'); return false;">world's longest passenger flight</a> between Dubai and Panama City. A westbound Boeing 777-200LR powered by a pair of <a href="http://www.gereports.com/the-art-of-engineering-the-worlds-largest-jet-engine-shows-off-composite-curves/" target="_blank">GE90 engines</a> covers the 8,950 miles that separates them on a single tank of gas in 17 hours and 35 minutes. But that record may soon topple. In January, Qatar Airways &#xa0;<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/qatar-airways-to-launch-worlds-longest-flight-a6838606.html" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/qatar-airways-to-launch-worlds-longest-flight-a6838606.html'); return false;">announced plans</a> to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes between Doha and Auckland in New Zealand. That route would use an <a href="http://www.gereports.com/post/124757740955/flying-to-live-when-brad-mottiers-parents-came/" target="_blank">Airbus A350</a> plane, which has GE composite components in its wings. Finally, United <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/united-starts-direct-san-francisco-singapore-787-9-s-426030/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/united-starts-direct-san-francisco-singapore-787-9-s-426030/'); return false;">launched</a> the <a href="http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/united-airlines-to-launch-longest-commercial-flight-on-san-francisco-singap/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/united-airlines-to-launch-longest-commercial-flight-on-san-francisco-singap/'); return false;">longest flight</a> originating at a U.S. airport between San Francisco and Singapore in June. It's the world's longest scheduled route flown by a <a href="http://www.gereports.com/power-numbers-ge-rolls-genx-engine-no-1000-five-years/" target="_blank">GEnx</a>-powered Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. The eastbound leg lasts 15h 30min and the westbound trip back clocks in at 16h 20min.</p><p><span>We have assembled a playlist at the bottom of the story to help you pass the time.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57879fff4321f142368b7ef7-1022/qatarairways1.jpg" alt="QatarAirways1" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="Qatar Airways just announced plans to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes. Above: A Qatar Airways's 25th Boeing 787 powered GEnx engines."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">Qatar Airways just announced plans to launch a 9,034-mile flight lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes. Above: A Qatar Airways's 25th Boeing 787 powered GEnx engines.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">T</span>hese new efficiency benchmarks have their origin in the oil shock. NASA, in particular, began a quest to develop an energy-efficient engine for commercial aircraft known as the E3 (E-cubed) program. GE joined early on and developed a new generation of high-bypass turbofan engines starting with the GE90. It has since added the GEnx for the Dreamliner and 747-8, and the&#xa0;<a href="http://www.gereports.com/made-under-the-tuscan-sun-the-worlds-largest-jet-engine-was-born-in-michelangelos-backyard/" target="_blank">GE9X</a>,&#xa0;which is currently in development.</p><p>To reduce weight, GE equipped the engines with light, carbon-fiber composite fan blades. To this day no other engine maker has engines with composite fan blades in service today. (The design for the GE90 was so fetching that one blade is now on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art.). "This was a huge, expensive and risky project," says Shridhar Nath, who leads the composites lab at GE Global Research. "We planned to replace titanium with what is essentially plastic. We were starting from scratch and we did not know how carbon fiber blades would respond to rain, hail, snow and sand, and the large forces inside the engine."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a03b4321f1d01a8b8132-1024/qatarairways2.jpg" alt="QatarAirways2" data-mce-source="GE Aviation" data-mce-caption="The GEnx engine has 18 fan blades made from lightweight carbon fiber composites."><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">The GEnx engine has 18 fan blades made from lightweight carbon fiber composites.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>But it paid off. "The engines essentially opened the globe up to incredibly efficient, twin-powered, wide-body planes," says David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation.</p><p>The latest engine in the GE family, the GE9X, will power Boeing's next-generation 777X long-haul jets. Lightweight carbon composites allowed engineers to design an 11-foot fan that can suck a maelstrom of 8,000 pounds of air per second inside the engine. The air will flow into the combustor, where it meets parts made from <a href="http://www.gereports.com/ge-mass-produce-advanced-space-age-material-u-s-first-time/" target="_blank">ceramic matrix composites (CMCs)</a>, another breakthrough material developed by GE scientists.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a0784321f11a008b81d0-1024/emirets.jpg" alt="Emirets" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="An Emirates flight between Dubai and Panama City is the current world-record holder, lasting 17 hours and 35 minutes."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">An Emirates flight between Dubai and Panama City is the current world-record holder, lasting 17 hours and 35 minutes.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Carbon fiber composites work with cold air at the front of the engine. But CMCs, which were originally developed for massive gas turbines for power plants, operate in the engine's hot section, at temperatures where even metals grow soft. The extra heat gained by the ceramics gives the engine more energy to work with and makes it more efficient.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a0fc88e4a74e018b8032-1024/jetenginege.jpg" alt="JetEngineGE" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="A jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">A jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p>CMCs also have twice the strength and just a third of the weight of their metal counterparts. This allows designers to make parts from them thinner and much lighter, further reducing the weight of the engine. Says GE researcher Krishnan Luthra, who spent two decades developing the material: "I thought it would be the Holy Grail if we could make it work."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a14088e4a725238b7cf2-1024/boeingge.jpg" alt="BoeingGE" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="Boeing's 737 MAX jet powered by LEAP-1B engines at the Farnborough International Airshow."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing's 737 MAX jet powered by LEAP-1B engines at the Farnborough International Airshow.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a16988e4a7fd018b7fb3-2400/gereportsengine.jpg" alt="GeReportsEngine" data-mce-source="GE Aviation" data-mce-caption="The next-generation ADVENT adaptive cycle jet engine will have a low pressure turbine with blades made from CMCs. GE aviation already tested them in a working turbine."><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">The next-generation ADVENT adaptive cycle jet engine will have a low pressure turbine with blades made from CMCs. GE aviation already tested them in a working turbine.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div id="attachment_20714"><a href="http://dsg.files.app.content.prod.s3.amazonaws.com/gereports/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/11193325/20160711-073905.jpg" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://dsg.files.app.content.prod.s3.amazonaws.com/gereports/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/11193325/20160711-073905.jpg'); return false;"></a></div><div><p>If you find yourself on a long flight, here's a playlist to help pass the time (a version of the playlist is also available on <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/gereports/playlist/07990qn0Os0bN4GFCgVtyQ" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:window.open('https://play.spotify.com/user/gereports/playlist/07990qn0Os0bN4GFCgVtyQ'); return false;">Spotify</a>).</p></div><div><em>This content was originally published on <a href="http://www.gereports.com/how-bygone-oil-crisis-gave-birth-to-the-worlds-longest-commercial-flights/" target="_blank">GE Reports</a>&#xa0;and is part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider" target="_blank">Digital Industry Insider</a>.</em></div><p class="tagline">Find out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sponsor-posts">more about Sponsor Content</a>.</p>

Are you ready for the 18-hour flight?

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d9dd553122bd57a3227a7f5-1920/08304consumertechlistingagent.jpg" border="0" alt="Compass Tech Example" data-mce-source="Compass" data-mce-caption="Updated Compass Interface" /><p class="source"><span>Compass</span></p><p class="caption">Updated Compass Interface</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Compass, the SoftBank-backed residential real estate brokerage, is adding new features to its consumer-facing website and app. </strong></li><li><strong>The changes include a recommendation tool for properties and new commenting functions. </strong></li><li><strong>Compass, founded in 2012, is now valued at $6.4 billion after a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/compass-valued-at-64-billion-in-latest-fundraising-round-2019-7">late July round of funding led by SoftBank</a>, and was the sixth-largest US brokerage by transactions <a href="https://www.realtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-REAL-Trends-500.pdf">in 2018</a>.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/compass-valued-at-64-billion-in-latest-fundraising-round-2019-7"></a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Compass, the SoftBank-backed residential real estate brokerage, said Wednesday that it has added new features to its customer-facing website and app. </p><p>Compass, founded in 2012, was last valued at $6.4 billion after a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/compass-valued-at-64-billion-in-latest-fundraising-round-2019-7">late July round of funding led by SoftBank</a>. The company has raised a total of $1.5 billion, including three separate funding rounds. It has grown rapidly through acquisition of other brokerages, and was the sixth-largest US brokerage by transactions <a href="https://www.realtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-REAL-Trends-500.pdf">in 2018</a>.</p><p>Compass, which is a high-profile name among a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andreesen-horowitz-backed-flyhomes-snags-141-million-in-debt-and-equity-2019-8">wave of companies</a> looking to put a tech spin on real estate transactions, has had an eventful few weeks.</p><p>A number of top execs left the company in September, including head of communications Jason Post and chief operating officer Maelle Gavet. Gavet had<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/softbank-backed-real-estate-broker-compass-hit-by-high-level-exits-11569439433"> told the Wall Street Journal in April</a> that the company was "not yet at a stage where I have a very clear monetization strategy because we haven't really talked about it."</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-compass-cfo-says-startup-harness-makes-referrals-using-technology-2019-8">Compass' ex-CFO just launched wealth-tech startup Harness Wealth. Here's how it's helping advisers battle Betterment and Wealthfront for trillions in millennial and Gen-X assets.</a></em></p><p>Gavet left on September 24 - the same day <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-adam-neumann-neumann-vote-ceo-failed-ipo-2019-9">Adam Neumann stepped down as CEO of SoftBank-backed co-working company WeWork</a>. According to media reports, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-trouble-raising-money-wework-failed-ipo-2019-10">SoftBank is now struggling to raise its $108 billion Vision Fund 2</a> after WeWork did not go to IPO and Uber's underperformed.</p><p>Compass hired CTO Joseph Sirosh from Microsoft's AI program last year as part of its plan to build more tech tools for agents and customers. The company says it now has more than 400 software engineers, product managers, and product designers. </p><p>The tech upgrade announcement, according to a company press release, brings the company closer to creating "the industry's first end-to-end software platform." The new features include a recommendation tool and upgrades to its listings map.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-real-estate-brokerage-offers-a-rebate-on-commission-2019-9">A startup real estate broker that puts a twist on commissions just raised $2 million in seed funding led by an early Compass investor</a></em></p><p>The recommendation tool would be familiar to anyone who has perused <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-netflix-recommendation-algorithm-works-2016-2">Netflix's Suggestions For You section</a>. There will be two options -  "Similar Homes" will find homes that share characteristics with what a customer is currently looking at, while"Recommended For You" will suggest homes that are similar to ones a customer has previously searched for.</p><p>"AI and machine learning have revolutionized entire industries and real estate is no exception," said Sirosh in a statement. </p><p>The upgrades also include an update to the Collections feature, which launched in March of 2017. The tool allows agents and customers to monitor a portfolio of properties they might be interested in. The upgrades bring a new design as well as commenting capabilities for agents and customers. </p><p>Other changes include searching across multiple localities at once; the ability to see the listing agent for every property, including non-Compass properties; and a map update that differentiates Compass's own listings from those from other brokerages. </p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-office-realestate-marketplace-zillow-for-office-space-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">A startup that wants to be a Zillow for commercial real estate just raised $10 million in seed funding from Greycroft and leading real estate players</a></em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marvel-captain-americas-shield-science-physics-2016-7">The Marvel movies pay incredible attention to the physics of Captain America's shield</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/rOKY2Etk-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

SoftBank-backed real-estate brokerage Compass is adding a Netflix-like recommendation feature to browse houses

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47162200.cms" /><br /> With refinement of engine playing hurdle, <keyword id="42747" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Motors">Tata Motors</keyword> is scrapping the plan to introduce diesel powered <keyword id="6371021" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Nano">Tata Nano</keyword> anytime soon. As per a news report by The Economic Times, the company, which is launching the GenX Nano soon with newer cosmetic changes, had developed a 2-cylinder 800 cc diesel engine that was also aimed at powering the small car. However, for the time being they won’t be implementing the same.<br />
<br /> "The reason is that as we stand now, refinement is a challenge and what refinement can be given on this kind of a car (Nano) won't be acceptable to the Indian customer," Tata Motors Senior <keyword id="11696" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vice-President">Vice President</keyword> (Programme, Planning &amp; Project Management, Passenger Vehicles) <keyword id="6427444" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Girish-Wagh">Girish Wagh</keyword> told news agency <keyword id="6367495" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PTI">PTI</keyword>. <br />
<br />
"Economics is also a challenge... When diesel price comes to its natural level, all the price advantage will go. Although it has higher fuel efficiency, meeting higher emission norms in diesel is more costly... Therefore, below a particular price level, diesel making economic sense both for the customer and the OEM is very difficult," Wagh added.<br />
<br />
When asked if the company has completely given up on a diesel Nano, Wagh said: "We continue to work on it. We don't rule out any possibility but currently the refinement and economics for both the customer and the OEM is a challenge." <br />
<br /> In order to revive the fortunes of what <keyword id="6360722" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ratan-tata">Ratan Tata</keyword> called 'People's Car', Tata Motors is all set to unveil its new <keyword id="44111" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Avatar">avatar</keyword>, GenX Nano, positioning it as an aspirational vehicle, the financial daily confirmed. <br />
<br /> (Image: <keyword id="-101" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Times">India Times</keyword>)<br />


​Diesel-driven Tata Nano is now a distant dream

GOP Insider readers: Dump Trump!

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5554e0b4eab8eac73cd7b6e6-1066-800/college-graduates-tossing-caps-9.jpg" border="0" alt="College Graduates Tossing Caps"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/students-throw-their-caps-in-the-air-ahead-of-their-news-photo/452181862">Getty Images / Dan Kitwood</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><em><strong>FA Insights is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that delivers the top news and commentary for financial advisors.</strong></em></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2015/05/13/83-of-americans-say-they-cant-afford-college-edwar?t=the-client">College is out of reach for most Americans</a> (Think Advisor) </strong></p><p>An Edward James survey found 83% of Americans believe they cannot afford the cost of a college education. Interestingly, only 37% of Americans earning more than $100,000 per year think they could cover the cost of an education for themselves or a family member. The survey also discovered that only 34% of Americans know that the 529 plan is a tool designed to help save for the cost of a higher education.  </p><p><strong><a href="http://wealthmanagement.com/retirement-planning/using-debt-retirement">Debt and retirement</a> (Wealth Management)</strong></p><p>Financial advisors have long argued against any sort of debt during retirement; however, Tom Anderson, a wealth manager at Morgan Stanley, disagrees. According to Wealth Management, Anderson believes, "Financial advisors need to adopt a more sophisticated view of client debt, taking advantage of low-cost borrowing opportunities to boost liquidity and wealth." Anderson says there are three types of debt: Oppressive (credit cards, payday loans, etc.), working (mortgage, student loans, etc.) and enriching (providing liquidity). He believes retirees should work hard to pay off oppressive debt, not rush into paying off working debt, and take advantage of enriching debt.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-13/druckenmiller-says-rates-could-remain-near-zero-10-years">Stanley Druckenmiller is worried about the aging US population</a> (Bloomberg)</strong></p><p>Investor Stanley Druckenmiller says the aging US population will be a "massive, massive problem" in 15 years. Bloomberg says Druckenmiller believes, "The mushrooming costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will bankrupt the nation's youth and eventually result in a crisis worse than the financial meltdown of 2008." Druckenmiller also thinks companies are "nuts" for borrowing money to buyback stock.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/13/us-morgan-stanley-finra-idUSKBN0NY1QL20150513">Morgan Stanley fined for short-selling violations</a> (Reuters)</strong></p><p>Morgan Stanley was fined $2 million by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for short-selling violations that occurred over the course of more than six years. The regulatory agency said Morgan Stanley failed to "completely and accurately" report its short interest positions and "violated a rule requiring that firms aggregate their positions in a security to determine if they are long or short," according to Reuters.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.financial-planning.com/news/practice_management/you-may-not-know-it-but-youve-got-a-gen-x-problem-2692883-1.html">Advisors are overlooking Gen Xers</a> (Financial Planning)</strong></p><p>Simon Mulcahy, senior vice president and general manager of financial services for Salesforce, says, "Members of Gen X are now substantial owners of wealth and in significant leadership positions, but advisors tend to treat them like baby boomers and expect Gen Xers to interact with them on the advisor's terms, not their own." Research released by Salesforce concluded Americans aged 35 to 54 are more likely to use tech-oriented financial tools to plan for their retirement because they disagree with advisors on how their portfolio should be constructed. The Gen-X approach to retirement aligns more closely with millennials, who also use tech-oriented tools, but for a different reason. Younger investors look to technology as a way to avoid high fees.  </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-altucher-401k-strategy-investing-money-2015-4">JAMES ALTUCHER: Why investing in a 401(k) is a complete waste of money</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="F3MzBodDrTy3quqOY3LWyY_4WpiCHYJo" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'F3MzBodDrTy3quqOY3LWyY_4WpiCHYJo',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

More than 80% of Americans say they couldn't afford college

<p><a href="http://businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57801fb48b987d737b9924a0-803-150/ge-digital-industry-insider-article-803x150v7.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a72888e4a779638b7adc-2400/20160712-153833-2-ig.jpg" alt="20160712 153833 2 IG" data-mce-source="GE Reports"><p class="source"><span>GE Reports</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>People have been making&#xa0;things from iron and steel for more than 3,000 years. Machines built from their alloys have landed on the moon and reached the very bottom of the ocean. But engineers such as GE Aviation's Sanjay Correa now believe that "we're running out of headroom in metals."</p><p>Correa and his team at GE say that a new class of materials called <a href="http://www.gereports.com/post/123737823440/up-up-and-away-ges-billion-dollar-bet-on/">ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) </a>is set to revolutionize everything from power generation to aviation, and allow engineers to build much more powerful and efficient jet engines before the end of the decade. "This is a huge play for us," he says.</p><p>A pair of the first commercial jet engines with CMCs inside debuted on Tuesday at the Farnborough Internal Airshow in England, when they powered Boeing's next-generation <a href="http://www.gereports.com/weve-got-an-exclusive-look-at-boeing-brand-new-737-max-jet/">737 MAX</a> jet.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a76a88e4a725238b7d18-1024/20160712-152332-2-1024x683.jpg" alt="20160712 152332 2 1024x683" data-mce-source="GE Reports"><p class="source"><span>GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">GE's ADVENT engine with CMCs inside may one day power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, seen up top hovering over Farnborough. The plane can go as fast as Mach 1.5, but also take off and land vertically. Above: The LEAP on the Boeing 737 MAX includes CMC shrouds.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Correa has an inside view. He leads the CMC program at GE Aviation, which is investing $200 million to build two new CMC factories in Huntsville, Alabama.</p><p>The Rocket City factories -a nickname tied to Huntsville's role in&#xa0;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0526/130.html" onclick="javascript:window.open('http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0526/130.html'); return false;">launching Americans to space</a>&#xa0;-will be supplying raw material to the first American CMC plant, which GE opened last year in Asheville, North Carolina. The company also already operates two CMC "lean labs" in Newark, Delaware, and Cincinnati, Ohio, that are looking for new applications for the materials and new ways to make them. "Opening the new plants in Alabama is a key step in building up the supply chain we need to make CMC parts in large volumes," Correa says.</p><p>GE scientists have been working on CMCs for two decades. These "super ceramics" are as tough as metals, but they are also one-third as heavy and can operate at 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit-500 degrees higher than the most advanced alloys. This combination allows engineers to design lighter components for engines that don't need as much cooling air, generate more power and burn less fuel.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a80488e4a79f178b7de5-1024/aetd-engine-1024x512.jpg" alt="AETD engine 1024x512" data-mce-source="GE Aviation"><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">GE Aviation received $1 billion to develop the ADVENT jet engine for sixth-generation striker. It includes CMCs and could one day power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Image credit.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Correa and his team believe that CMCs could allow designers to increase jet engine thrust by 25 percent and decrease fuel consumption by 10 percent by 2020.</p><p>While these numbers are pregnant with promise, CMCs have been extremely difficult to mass-produce. Until fairly recently, their use was limited to the space industry and fighter jet exhaust systems.</p><p>GE's first applications were less lofty, but also more practical. Starting in 2000, GE's Oil &amp; Gas business tested CMCs inside a 2-megawatt gas turbine in Florence, Italy. By the middle of the decade, turbines with CMC shrouds-special parts directing the flow of air into the hottest parts of the machines-were running for thousands of hours without a hitch.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a0fc88e4a74e018b8032-1024/jetenginege.jpg" alt="JetEngineGE" data-mce-source="Adam Senatori for GE Reports" data-mce-caption="A jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs."><p class="source"><span>Adam Senatori for GE Reports</span></p><p class="caption">GE brought this jet engine turbine blade made from CMCs to the 2015 Paris Air Show. Top: The ADVENT adaptive cycle engine holds some of the most advanced GE technology, including CMCs. They could one go even.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><span>GE's aviation business picked up the technology in 2007 and started looking for jet engine applications at its lean laboratory in Delaware. (This is an example of the vaunted "GE Store"-the transfer or technology and knowledge between GE businesses.)</span></p><p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a8ab4321f1c62f8b79d4-1024/cmc_hardware_525a0757_008-1024x640.jpg" alt="CMC_Hardware_525A0757_008 1024x640" data-mce-source="GE Aviation"><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">GE is testing CMC parts inside engines for passenger planes as well as fighter jets.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></em></p><p>GE Aviation first used the material for CMC shrouds in the hot section of its F136 fighter jet engine, but their application quickly spread. Static CMC parts are already flying inside the LEAP on the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo and Airbus A321neo jets. The LEAP's maker, CFM International-a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines of France-has received more than 10,800 orders and commitments for the engines valued at more than $150 billion (list price).</p><p>In 2015, GE started testing CMC components in a GEnx engine - the type used by many Boeing Dreamliners - to mature the technology for its latest large engine: the GE9X. Now on a test stand at GE's boot camp for jet engines in Peebles, Ohio, the <a href="http://www.gereports.com/are-you-ready-for-the-worlds-largest-jet-engine-its-as-wide-as-a-boeing-737-and-super-fuel-efficient/">GE9X engine </a>&#xa0;is the largest jet engine ever built with 11 feet in fan diameter, and it is capable of producing of titanic air compression (60:1, if you ask)-arguably the highest ever in the history of aviation. "We expect a 10-fold increase in demand for CMCs when these and other engines take off by the end of 2020," Correa says.</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/is1BBilkyUM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>Correa's team is far from finished, though. Earlier last year, it tested the first spinning parts inside the latest-generation <a href="http://www.gereports.com/post/121760198405/ge-and-air-force-unveil-the-ultimate-flying/">ADVENT adaptive cycle engine</a>, a demonstrator engine for the U.S. Department of Defense. GE Aviation just received a $1 billion contract to develop the engine further. The machine which has 45,000 pounds of thrust could one day also power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. "This is extremely important to us," says Jean Lydon-Rodgers, GE Aviation's vice president and general manager for military affairs.</p><p>GE researchers have now started replacing rotating metal components with CMCs. This is a&#xa0;big deal because shedding their weight by two-thirds will produce a knock-on&#xa0;effect by lowering the centrifugal force inside the engine. For example, it will allow designers to reduce the size of the engine's main shaft and cut engine weight further.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5787a9384321f102278b7ff5-1024/f414_cmc-lpt-blade_ecb-coatings1-1024x680.jpg" alt="F414_CMC LPT blade_ECB coatings1 1024x680" data-mce-source="GE Aviation"><p class="source"><span>GE Aviation</span></p><p class="caption">The ADVENT's low-pressure turbine with blades from CMCs. Some of them are covered with a special yellow environmental coating.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>As the name implies, composite materials such as CMC are made from separate materials, which are then joined together. Concrete, for example, is a primitive but simple example of a composite.</p><p>GE makes CMCs from tiny silicon carbide fibers embedded in a silicon carbide matrix. The fibers are five times as thin than a&#xa0;human hair and coated with a "very highly proprietary coating," Correa says. The result is "tough like a metal [but] not brittle like a ceramic," he says.</p><p>GE first started producing the fibers in Japan in 2012, after it formed a joint venture company, NGS Advanced Fibers Co., with Nippon Carbon and Safran. NGS owns one-half of the company and the GE and Safran split the rest. One of the new Huntsville plants will be the first such facility of its kind in the U.S. It will supply GE businesses and also the U.S. Department of Defense. The second facility will take the fiber and make a highly-proprietary CMC tape for use by the GE CMC plant in Asheville.</p><p>The other two components of GE's CMC ecosystem-the lean labs in Ohio and Delaware-are already looking for new applications for the materials and new fabrication methods, respectively.</p><p>Before long, you maybe flying to China in a plane powered by ceramics.</p><p><em>This content was originally published on <a href="http://www.gereports.com/space-age-cmcs-aviations-new-cup-of-tea/" target="_blank">GE Reports</a>&#xa0;and is part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/digital-industry-insider" target="_blank">Digital Industry Insider</a>.</em></p><p class="tagline">Find out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sponsor-posts">more about Sponsor Content</a>.</p>

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