Progress in Advanced High Temperature

The need for advanced materials capability has never been as great as at this time in our nation's history. Energy shortages demand more efficient operation of existing equipment of all types as well as new and imaginative methods of power conversion. Advanced materials are the key to achieving improved performance via higher cycle operating temperatures, lighter structural components, and adequate resistance to the various environmental factors associated with such equipment. Significant progress has recently been made in many high temperature material categories pertinent to such applications by the industrial community, DOD and NASA. These include metal matrix composites, superalloys, directionally solidified eutectics, coatings, and ceramics. Each of these material categories is reviewed and the current state-of-the-art identified, including some assessment, when appropriate, of progress, problems, and future directions.