Nickel Superalloy Hot Corrosion Patent Landscape
Nickel superalloy hot corrosion is a moderately concentrated field anchored by materials specialists and aerospace OEMs, with Cannon Muskegon, General Electric, and Safran holding the top three positions. Activity peaked in 2021 and has since eased, signaling a field moving from active buildout into selective, application-focused investment.
Three organizations hold a decisive lead; the broader field remains accessible
Cannon Muskegon leads the applicant ranking with 56 patent records, followed closely by General Electric with 51 and Safran with 43. United Technologies and Alcoa round out the top five, with 24 and 18 patent records respectively.
The top five filers account for 33% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers. That level of concentration indicates clear front-runners but leaves meaningful room for challengers, particularly in adjacent technology branches where the leaders are less dominant.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cannon Muskegon Corporation | 56 | |
| 2 | General Electric | 51 | |
| 3 | Safran SA | 43 | |
| 4 | United Technologies Corporation | 24 | |
| 5 | Alcoa Inc. | 18 | |
| 6 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 16 | |
| 7 | OFFICE NAT DETUDES & DE RECH AEROSPATIALES | 16 | |
| 8 | Honeywell International Inc. | 12 | |
| 9 | Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. | 11 | |
| 10 | Aubert et Duval SA | 10 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Toshiba Corporation | 10 | |
| 12 | Babcock Hitachi K.K. | 9 | |
| 13 | Lyten Inc. | 9 | |
| 14 | Beijing Beiye Functional Materials Corporation | 9 | |
| 15 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 8 | |
| 16 | University of Nantes | 8 | |
| 17 | Siemens AG | 8 | |
| 18 | China United Gas Turbine Technology Co., Ltd. | 8 | |
| 19 | Gaona Aero Material Co., Ltd. | 7 | |
| 20 | Hitachi Ltd. | 7 |
Cannon Muskegon’s lead in crystal growth (C30B) differentiates it from GE and Safran, both of which emphasize turbine-component applications (F01D) alongside alloy composition. This split suggests the top tier is not monolithic: materials-process specialists and system integrators occupy distinct but overlapping positions.
Filing and publication lags mean that 2024–2026 data likely under-represents actual activity; the apparent low counts in those years should not be read as a steeper decline than the trend data support. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2021 filing peak, alloy-composition dominance, and growing coating activity
The annual trend chart and IPC composition map together reveal when the field built momentum and which technology branches are now carrying the most weight for future differentiation.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 14–16 per year in 2017–2018 to a peak of 44 in 2021, then eased to 39 in 2022 and fell further in 2023. The 2024–2026 bars are subject to publication lag and should be treated as provisional minimums rather than confirmed low points.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C22C (Alloys) is the dominant branch by a wide margin, reflecting the field’s foundation in compositional engineering. F01D (Turbines), C22F (non-ferrous metal treatment), and C23C (Coating & surface deposition) form a secondary tier that points toward processing and protective-coating applications as the next most active zones.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Single-crystal Ni-based superalloy with high tempe…
An object of this invention is to provide a single-crystal nickel-based superalloy having high creep rupture strength at high temperatures and excel at corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Single-crystal nickel-based superalloys with high temperature strength, hot corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance comprising by… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Repaired nickel based superalloy | 158 |
| 2 | Single crystal nickel-based superalloy | 153 |
| 3 | Abrasive surfaced article for high temperature ser… | 109 |
| 4 | Nickel-based single crystal superalloy and method … | 100 |
| 5 | Thermal barrier coating system with hardenable bon… | 80 |
| 6 | Single crystal castings | 67 |
| 7 | Single crystal nickel superalloy | 64 |
| 8 | Single crystal nickel superalloy | 59 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the structure implies for R&D allocation decisions
The combination of a post-peak lifecycle, moderate concentration, structured industry-academia collaboration, and US-led jurisdiction coverage shapes where new investment is likely to have the highest marginal return.
Post-peak field: targeted investment over broad coverage
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2021 peak of 44. This indicates that foundational composition and processing patents have been largely filed, and future value likely lies in narrower application-specific claims — particularly coatings, repair methods, and additive manufacturing routes — rather than broad alloy-space coverage.
Post-peak · 2021 apexAccessible top tier with a clear gap below rank five
The top five filers hold 33% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, but ranks six through ten (CNRS, ONERA, Honeywell, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Aubert et Duval) each hold only 10–16 patent records — a notable step down. Organizations in this second tier have room to close the gap through focused filing in underserved branches such as additive manufacturing or advanced coating deposition.
Moderate concentrationSafran anchors a dense French aerospace-academia cluster
The most active co-filing pair is Safran and CNRS, with 14 jointly filed patent records. Safran also co-files with ONERA (8 records), University of Nantes (8 records), and Aubert et Duval (3 records), forming a tightly networked French aerospace-materials consortium. Hitachi and Kansai Electric constitute a separate Japan-focused industrial cluster with 4 co-filed records. Organizations seeking entry points may find collaboration with these academic nodes (CNRS, University of Nantes) a lower-barrier route than competing directly against the industrial leaders.
Safran–CNRS hubUS primary; Europe and Asia offer meaningful secondary coverage
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 150 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 97 and Japan with 65. China has grown to 58 records, reflecting increasing domestic activity from filers such as Beijing Beiye Functional Materials and China United Gas Turbine Technology. India, with 24 records, and Canada, with 28, represent mid-tier filing destinations worth monitoring for freedom-to-operate assessments in aerospace supply chains.
US-led; China risingGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Safran SA | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 14 |
| Safran SA | ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | 8 |
| Safran SA | University of Nantes | 8 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | University of Nantes | 8 |
| Safran SA | Safran Aircraft Engines | 5 |
| Hitachi Ltd. | The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. | 4 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | Safran Aircraft Engines | 4 |
| Safran SA | University of Poitiers | 3 |
| Safran SA | University of La Rochelle | 3 |
| Safran SA | Aubert et Duval SA | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Cannon Muskegon leads on alloy composition; GE and Safran add turbine-system depth
The top three applicants each emphasize C22C alloy composition as their primary branch, but diverge at the second and third levels: Cannon Muskegon extends into crystal growth, while GE and Safran extend into turbine-component applications.
Cannon Muskegon Corporation
Cannon Muskegon leads with 56 patent records, concentrated in alloy composition (C22C 19) and crystal growth (C30B 29 and C30B 11). This crystal-growth emphasis — 39 and 19 records in those sub-classes — distinguishes it from all other top filers and reflects a single-crystal solidification specialization directly relevant to hot-section turbine blade manufacturing. Momentum data for this applicant is not included in the evidence set.
families: 56General Electric
General Electric holds 51 patent records with a balanced portfolio across alloy composition (59 IPC records in C22C 19), turbine components (29 in F01D 5), and crystal growth (12 in C30B 29). Its recent three-year filing trend shows a modest decline of 10%, with 9 recent-period records, suggesting selective rather than expansionary activity. GE’s breadth across composition-to-application makes it the most strategically versatile of the top filers.
families: 51| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric | 9 | ▼ -10% |
| Safran SA | 7 | ▼ -76% |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 1 | ▼ -92% |
| ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Coating deposition, additive manufacturing, and powder metallurgy as under-served adjacent branches
The dominant alloy-composition branch is well-occupied; the branches below it in the IPC distribution carry lower relative share and may represent areas where targeted filing could establish differentiated positions.
B33Y · Additive manufacturing (3D printing)
Additive manufacturing holds only 30 patent records and a 2% share of IPC classifications in this corpus — the lowest among the white-space candidates. Given that laser powder-bed fusion and directed energy deposition are increasingly used to fabricate and repair hot-section nickel superalloy components, the sparse filing record suggests that the intersection of AM process parameters and hot-corrosion resistance has not yet been systematically claimed. Organizations with AM process expertise and access to corrosion-testing infrastructure would be plausibly positioned to file in this space.
Search this in Eureka →B22F · Powder metallurgy
Powder metallurgy (B22F) shows 51 patent records and a 4% share, modest relative to the field’s reliance on fine-grained microstructures for oxidation and corrosion resistance. The overlap between powder processing routes — including hot isostatic pressing and spark plasma sintering — and hot-corrosion performance of nickel superalloys is technically well-motivated but sparsely covered in the current filing record. Entry here would likely require demonstrating a corrosion-specific performance claim tied to a powder processing variable, which is a realistic but narrow path.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C22C 19 · Alloys | F01D 5 · Turbines & non-positive engines | C22F 1 · Non-ferrous metal treatment | C22C 1 · Alloys | C30B 29 · Crystal growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Muskegon Corporation | Strong · 53 | Moderate · 16 | Moderate · 18 | Absent | Strong · 39 |
| General Electric | Strong · 59 | Moderate · 29 | Emerging · 10 | Emerging · 9 | Moderate · 12 |
| Safran SA | Strong · 41 | Strong · 27 | Emerging · 6 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 5 |
| United Technologies Corporation | Strong · 20 | Moderate · 10 | Moderate · 10 | Emerging · 4 | Moderate · 5 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | Strong · 14 | Strong · 11 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 3 |
| Hitachi Ltd. | Strong · 16 | Moderate · 7 | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | Strong · 12 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 206 patent families. The United States is the lead filing jurisdiction with 150 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 97 and Japan with 65.
Cannon Muskegon Corporation leads with 56 patent records, followed by General Electric with 51, Safran with 43, United Technologies with 24, and Alcoa with 18.
The field is classified as Decline, with annual filings having peaked at 44 in 2021 and easing back since. Note that 2024–2026 filing counts are subject to publication lag and represent provisional minimums.
C22C (Alloys) is the dominant branch. F01D (Turbines and non-positive engines), C22F (Non-ferrous metal treatment), and C23C (Coating and surface deposition) form the next tier. Additive manufacturing (B33Y) and powder metallurgy (B22F) are comparatively sparse.
Safran anchors the most active collaboration network, co-filing most intensively with CNRS (14 records), ONERA (8 records), and the University of Nantes (8 records). A separate Japan cluster links Hitachi and Kansai Electric (4 records).
Additive manufacturing (B33Y, 30 patent records, 2% share) and powder metallurgy (B22F, 51 records, 4% share) are the sparsest branches relative to their technical relevance to hot-corrosion performance of nickel superalloys. Coating and surface deposition (C23C, 96 records) is also below the dominant alloy branch but more populated than the AM and powder-metallurgy routes.
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