Iowa Boys Come Through on Tech for Electrics
Iowa State University is usually recognized for advancements in veterinary or agricultural science, but it really has a wonderful engineering school. I know because (I just know no one will believe this!) I was accepted into the Honors Aerospace Program in the late 90’s … and here’s some proof they’ve risen their standards:
A small group of scientists there - namely Iver Anderson, Bill McCallum and Matthew Kramer - have designed a magnet alloy that may have solved one of the biggest roadblocks to mass electric travel (and one rarely talked about) - the reliability and expense of magnets used in electric engines.
Traditional magnets lose up to half of their magnetic energy at temps of 100 degrees Celsius — half of what’s required for an electric magnetic engine powering a car. Not only are the scientists focused on creating a magnet that can withstand heats greater than 200 degrees Celsius, but they’ve kept manufacturing challenges in mind as well. Aiming for standards which would keep electric cars durable and affordable, they’ve made sure the magnets can be made using typical injection-molding technology, not the current process which requires the magnets to be glued into the motor by hand. In fact, they went an even further step by replacing the helium used in the atomization process to argon to make things even more cost effective.
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109173709.htm
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