October 25, 2007 9:00 AM PDT
This "sculpture" is actually a fan blade for a GE jet engine. Researchers are using composites--made from carbon and resins--to make strong yet lightweight materials for their engines. By lightening the load of the engines, they become more fuel-efficient.
But the decision to use composites in its jet engines was not an easy one. "Our competitor Rolls-Royce almost went bankrupt" trying to use composites in its products, said Pete Finnigan, manager of advanced materials at GE's composites lab.
Photo by Martin LaMonica/CNET News.com
Caption by Martin LaMonica
