Nickel Superalloy Simulation Patent Landscape 2026
The nickel superalloy simulation patent space is highly concentrated, with a French aerospace-academic consortium anchored by Safran SA commanding the dominant share of activity across alloy design and turbine component simulation. The field reached its peak filing volume in 2020 and has since eased, though publication lag means the most recent two years are still filling in.
Safran leads a tightly held, France-centric niche
Safran SA holds the top position by a wide margin, ranking first among all applicants and accounting for a commanding share of the active portfolio. The top five filers together account for 75% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling an unusually concentrated competitive structure for an engineering simulation topic.
The gap between the first tier (Safran SA and CNRS) and the rest of the field is substantial. Academic institutions — the University of Nantes, the University of Poitiers, and ONERA — fill the next tier, reflecting a research-intensive, consortium-driven model rather than a broad multi-industry race.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safran SA | 83 | |
| 2 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 36 | |
| 3 | OFFICE NAT DETUDES & DE RECH AEROSPATIALES | 21 | |
| 4 | University of Nantes | 19 | |
| 5 | University of Poitiers | 17 | |
| 6 | Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 12 | |
| 7 | Ecole Nationale Superieure de Mecanique et d’Aerotechnique (ENSMA) | 10 | |
| 8 | ECOLE NAT SUPERIEURE DARTS & METIERS (ENSAM) | 5 | |
| 9 | Alloyed Ltd | 3 | |
| 10 | Aubert & Duval SA | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | OFFICE NAT DETUBES & DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES | 2 | |
| 12 | Oxford University Innovation Ltd | 2 | |
| 13 | Dr. Kundurthi Bharadwaja | 1 | |
| 14 | OxMet Technologies Ltd | 1 | |
| 15 | Dr. Srinivasa Rao Seeram | 1 | |
| 16 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 1 | |
| 17 | NANJING UNIV OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS WUXI RE… | 1 | |
| 18 | Soochow University | 1 | |
| 19 | National Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | 1 | |
| 20 | Dr. Bhiksha Gugulothu | 1 |
Safran’s position, reinforced by deep co-filing relationships with every major academic partner in the corpus, suggests that any entrant seeking to challenge in core alloy composition and turbine-blade simulation must contend with an entrenched, cross-institutional portfolio rather than a single assignee.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 are still accruing due to standard patent publication lag and should be treated as lower bounds rather than evidence of a structural decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2020; alloy composition and turbine classes dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal both the temporal arc of investment in this field and the degree to which it remains anchored to a small set of core classes.
Annual filing trend
Filing volume surged to its highest point in 2020, then eased unevenly across subsequent years. The 2024–2026 bars are subject to publication lag and will rise as pending applications publish; they should not be read as confirming a sustained decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C22C (Alloys) and F01D (Turbines and non-positive displacement engines) together account for the overwhelming majority of classified records, confirming that the corpus is tightly focused on nickel alloy composition for turbine applications. C30B (Crystal growth), G06F (Electric digital data processing), and C23C (Coating and surface deposition) each appear at much lower frequencies, flagging them as adjacent branches with potential room for new entrants.
↗ 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.
Nickel-based superalloy, single-crystal blade and …
A nickel-based superalloy comprises in weight percentages: 5.4 to 6.0% of aluminium, 7.5 to 9.0% of tantalum, 0.10 to 0.25% of titanium, 5.5 to 7.5% of cobalt, 4.0 to 5.5% of chromium, 0.10 to 0.70% of molybdenum, 4.0 to 5.0% of tungsten, 4.8 to 6.2% of rhenium, 0.04 to 0.15% of hafnium, 0 to 0.15% of silicon, the remainder consisting of nickel and… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种叶片榫齿缓进深切成形磨削残余应力预测方法 | 10 |
| 2 | 基于数据驱动多组元高温合金持久蠕变性能的评估方法 | 7 |
| 3 | A nickel-based alloy | 6 |
| 4 | Nickel-based superalloy, single-crystal blade and … | 3 |
| 5 | Nickel-based superalloy, single-crystal blade and … | 3 |
| 6 | Nickel-based superalloy, single-crystal blade and … | 3 |
| 7 | Nickel-based superalloy, single-crystal blade and … | 3 |
| 8 | 一种数据驱动的变形镍基高温合金多目标性能逆向设计优化方法 | 2 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D strategy
The combination of a post-peak lifecycle, high concentration, and dense academic-industry collaboration defines a field where incremental positioning in the core is difficult but adjacent branches remain accessible.
Post-peak: the field is in decline from its 2020 high
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, driven by annual filing volume easing back from the 2020 peak. The field is not nascent — core alloy simulation methods are well-staked — which raises the bar for novel claim scope in the dominant C22C and F01D classes. R&D investment is better justified in adjacent branches or in extending existing portfolio positions with next-generation computational methods.
Lifecycle: DeclineTop five control three-quarters of the leading filers’ output
The top five applicants hold 75% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, a level of concentration that is high even by aerospace standards. The first-tier gap between Safran SA and the nearest challengers means that organic filing activity is unlikely to close the lead quickly. New entrants are more likely to find traction in under-served branches or through targeted licensing than by competing head-on in the core alloy-composition space.
High concentrationSafran and CNRS anchor a dense French consortium
The most active co-filing pair is Safran SA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) with 34 joint filings, followed by Safran SA with ONERA and with the University of Nantes at 19 each, and CNRS with the University of Nantes also at 19. The University of Poitiers co-files actively with both Safran SA and CNRS at 15 each. This interlocking consortium effectively fences the core technology area and reduces the likelihood of isolated academic breakouts outside the Safran ecosystem.
Consortium-drivenEurope (EPO) leads, with China and the US as secondary jurisdictions
Europe (EPO) is the lead filing jurisdiction, followed closely by China and then the United States. WIPO (PCT) and India also register meaningful activity, indicating that at least some filers are pursuing broad international protection. The strong European lead reflects the French-consortium origin of most filings, while China’s second-place position suggests growing parallel activity from Chinese academic institutions filing domestically.
Europe-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) | 34 |
| Safran SA | ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | 19 |
| Safran SA | University of Nantes | 19 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | University of Nantes | 19 |
| Safran SA | University of Poitiers | 15 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | University of Poitiers | 15 |
| Safran SA | Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 12 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 8 |
| University of Poitiers | Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 8 |
| Ecole Nationale Superieure de Mecanique et d’Aerotechnique (ENSMA) | Safran SA | 8 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Safran SA leads; CNRS is the key academic counterpart
The two dominant players define the field’s technical direction: Safran SA as the industrial anchor and CNRS as the primary academic partner, jointly covering alloy composition, turbine component modeling, and crystal growth.
Safran SA
Safran SA ranks first with 83 patent records, concentrated in C22C 19 (Alloys), F01D 5 (Turbines), and C30B 1 (Crystal growth). Its momentum is declining at –17% in recent filings versus the prior period, suggesting a maturing core portfolio. The company co-files extensively with every major French academic institution in the corpus, reinforcing its position as the hub of the consortium.
83 patent recordsCNRS
CNRS ranks second with 36 patent records, focused on C22C 19 (Alloys), F01D 5 (Turbines), and C23C 28 (Coating and surface deposition). Its recent filing trend shows a steep decline of –69%, indicating that CNRS’s surge in earlier years has substantially moderated. Its coating and surface deposition emphasis, distinct from Safran’s crystal-growth focus, marks the one meaningful technical differentiation between the two lead filers.
36 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Safran SA | 30 | ▼ -17% |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 8 | ▼ -69% |
| ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| University of Poitiers | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 12 | ▲ new entrant |
| Ecole Nationale Superieure de Mecanique et d’Aerotechnique (ENSMA) | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| ECOLE NAT SUPERIEURE DARTS & METIERS (ENSAM) | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Crystal growth, digital processing, and coatings are under-served relative to the alloy core
Five IPC branches each hold a low share of the corpus despite direct technical relevance to nickel superalloy simulation; all represent areas where the barrier from incumbent portfolios is lower than in the dominant C22C and F01D classes.
C30B · Crystal growth simulation
With only 14 patent records and a 6% share of the corpus, single-crystal growth modeling is sparse relative to its importance in turbine-blade manufacturing. The directional solidification of single-crystal nickel superalloy blades is a critical process step, and simulation tools that predict grain defect formation or dendrite morphology have direct industrial value. The entry path is viable for materials modeling software firms or academic groups with phase-field or CALPHAD expertise, where the incumbent cluster — mainly Safran SA and ONERA — has not yet erected a dense claim fence.
Search this in Eureka →G06F · Digital data processing for superalloy simulation
G06F carries only 9 patent records at a 4% share, despite the growing role of machine-learning and finite-element platforms in alloy property prediction — a trajectory evidenced by the top-cited corpus entries on data-driven creep and multi-objective inverse design. The branch is technically adjacent to the core alloy classes but claims the computational methods layer rather than alloy compositions, potentially offering freedom-to-operate for software and simulation-platform developers. Siemens Energy and Alloyed Ltd are the only non-consortium players with any G06F-adjacent presence, leaving substantial room for new entrants.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route across alloy, turbine, and process branches
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C22C 19 · Alloys | F01D 5 · Turbines & non-positive engines | C30B 1 · Crystal growth | C22F 1 · Non-ferrous metal treatment | C23C 28 · Coating & surface deposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safran SA | Strong · 81 | Strong · 64 | Emerging · 10 | Emerging · 6 | Emerging · 8 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | Strong · 34 | Strong · 29 | Emerging · 4 | Emerging · 1 | Moderate · 7 |
| University of Nantes | Strong · 19 | Strong · 16 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Moderate · 7 |
| ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab | Strong · 19 | Strong · 12 | Moderate · 5 | Emerging · 3 | Absent |
| University of Poitiers | Strong · 15 | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | Strong · 12 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 |
| Ecole Nationale Superieure de Mecanique et d’Aerotechnique (ENSMA) | Strong · 8 | Strong · 7 | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 97 patent families in scope. This is a relatively small, specialized niche compared with broader superalloy or turbine-component fields, which is consistent with the highly concentrated applicant structure.
Safran SA holds the top position with 83 patent records, more than double the second-ranked applicant, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at 36. This lead is reinforced by Safran’s co-filing relationships with every major academic partner in the corpus.
The field reached peak annual volume in 2020 and has since eased, placing it in a Decline lifecycle stage. The recent-window growth figure is -12%. The most recent 18–24 months of data are still accruing due to publication lag and should be treated as lower bounds.
Europe (EPO) is the lead jurisdiction, followed by China and the United States. WIPO (PCT) and India also register activity, suggesting some filers seek broad international coverage alongside the core European position.
The top-cited records include a Chinese-language patent on residual stress prediction in blade tenon creep grinding (10 citations), a data-driven multi-component superalloy creep and durability assessment method (7 citations), and a nickel-based alloy composition patent (6 citations). Several single-crystal blade patents share 3 citations each.
The most accessible adjacent branches are C30B (Crystal growth, 14 records) and G06F (Electric digital data processing, 9 records). Both are technically relevant — covering single-crystal solidification modeling and computational/machine-learning methods respectively — but are sparsely filed relative to the dominant alloy and turbine classes, and neither is densely fenced by the incumbent consortium.
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