With the extreme heat of Iraq, aircraft and jet engine materials have been pushed to the brink. But the U.S. Air Force would like to push a bit further.

And for that they need help.

University of North Texas scientists received a $6.36 million government contract to study the causes of jet engine failure and develop durable, lightweight engine materials.

Kay Bailey Hutchison

The new federal dollars follow $2.2 million awarded last year and delivered by “federal pony express,” to the university this week, said U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The $8 million-plus comes from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio to fund the new Institute for Science and Engineering Simulation at UNT.

Hutchison said U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess’ efforts to expand the sciences at the university help bring in the added federal research dollars.

Burgess, a Republican from Lewisville, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNT.

Both Burgess and Hutchison spoke at Wednesday’s announcement.

“We’ve got a nugget here,” Hutchison said. “We’ve now added a whole new aspect of research that is in the forefront of what is being looked at nationally.”

The government contract will help the university climb the ladder to reach the status of academic prestige sought by six other Texas universities: to be among the top research schools in the state.

UNT researchers met last week with Air Force personnel to discuss the direction of the research, which will use computer modeling and simulation, as well as experimentation to study the performance of aircraft materials such as nickel.

Nickel can withstand heat up to 700 to 800 degrees Celsius, said Dr. Raj Banerjee, director of the new institute and associate professor of materials science and engineering at the university.

But to increase the withstanding temperature by even 50 degrees Celsius could make a big impact on engine parts and fuel efficiency, he said.

The project also will help identify failed aircraft mechanisms, improve aircraft materials and extend the lifetime of the current Air Force fleet, Banerjee said.

And with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is an important research project, he said.

For private technology companies, such as Lockheed Mar­tin of Fort Worth, research brought to North Texas could help their business as well as bring other high-tech companies to the area, Hutchison said.

“I’m sure [Lockheed Martin] will want to be able to use the research that’s going to be started right here,” Hutchison said. “So I foresee this is going to be a big economic development boon for Denton.”

The university also will grow.

Alan Needleman will join the Institute for Science and En­gineering Simulation to work on the project.

Needleman, who recently retired from Brown University, is the latest hire for the university’s $25 million investment into developing collaborative research clusters announced last month, said UNT President Gretchen Bataille.

“We are on the move to change things here, and we are doing it,” Bataille said.

The project will take the dedication of many departments across the university, including chemistry and engineering, as well as colleagues in modeling and testing, said Tom Cundari, UNT regents professor of chem­istry.

“This is the first day of a long-term project,” he said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her email address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com .