Supplement: Aerospace Aluminium alloys · aerospace industry is increasingly looking to recycled alloys to satisfy their high de-mand. There is also a push for innovation in the materials
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Supplement: Aerospace
Aluminium alloys
in the aerospace
industry
24 dpaonthenet.net
Shutterstock image
In this article, Marta Danylenko, Marketing
Manager at online materials database Mat-
match, explains the common alloys used in
aerospace engineering and their applications,
as well as some less well-known ones, and
what the future holds for aerospace materials.
A brief historyThe Wright brothers chose aluminium for
the cylinder block and other engine parts
for their first manned flight in 1903. It was
also the first time an aluminium alloy had
been heat-strengthened. This discovery
prompted the preference for aluminium in
aerospace engineering.
Over the years, the aerospace industry has
become more demanding in what it needs
from materials. The advent of jumbo jets
and long-haul international flights meant
that the shell and engine parts had to be
extremely durable and resistant to fatigue.
This has led to the development and use of
many different types of aluminium alloys.
Commonly used aluminium alloys in the aerospace industrySecond only to AA 2024 in terms of its pop-
ularity in aerospace engineering, AA2014 is a
strong and tough metal and is suitable for arc
and resistance welding. However, it has poor
corrosion resistance, and for that reason, it is
often found in the internal structure or frame-
work of aircraft rather than the shell.
Aluminium alloy 2024 is probably the most
widely used alloy for aircraft. It was devel-
oped after experiments allowing small
amounts of cold deformation and a peri-
od of natural ageing led to an increased
yield strength. 2024 is a high-grade alloy
with excellent fatigue resistance. It’s used
primarily in sheet forms such as for the
fuselage and wings due to its high tensile
strength of roughly 470 MPa.
Of the non-heat treatable grades of alloy,
AA 5052 provides the highest strength
and is highly ductile, so it can be formed
into a variety of shapes including engine
components and fittings. It is also highly
corrosion resistant.
AA 6061 alloy is very common in light
aircraft, especially homemade ones. It’s
easily welded and manipulated, is very
light and fairly strong, making it ideal for
fuselage and wings.
AA 7050 has high corrosion resistance and
maintains strength in wide sections. This
makes it more resistant to fractures than
other alloys. It’s commonly used in wing
skins and fuselage, especially in military
aircraft.
AA 7068 is the strongest alloy available to-
day. Combined with its low mass, it is per-
fect for military aircraft that need to stand
up to tough conditions and attacks.
With similar strength properties to steel due
to its high levels of Zinc, AA 7075 has excel-
lent fatigue resistance. It can be machined
easily which meant it was a popular choice
for fighter planes in World War II, including
the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter used by
the Japanese Imperial Navy on their carri-
ers between 1940 and 1945. It is still used
frequently in military aircraft to this day.
Less common aluminium alloys in the aerospace industryIf you need an aluminium alloy that provides
maximum strength at elevated tempera-
tures, AA 2219 is the best bet. It was used
for the external fuel tank of the first suc-
cessfully launched space shuttle, Columbia.
Aluminium has a long and successful history in the aerospace industry. As far back as the 19th century, Count Ferdinand Zeppelin made the frames of his iconic airships from it.
Aluminium was chosen as it is lightweight, strong, and has a high resistance to corrosion.
Supplement: Aerospace
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It has good weldability, but the welds need
heat-treating to preserve resistance against
corrosion.
AA 6063 is mainly used for aesthetic and
architectural finishes and can be found in
the finer details of an aircraft. It is used pri-
marily for intricate extrusions. AA 7475 is
highly resistant to fracture and fatigue. Due
to its toughness, it is sometimes found in
fuselage bulkheads of larger aircraft.
The future of aluminium alloys in aerospaceIndustry experts are positive about the fu-
ture of aluminium alloys in aerospace. It is
projected that demand for aluminium will
double over the next decade.
By 2025, there will be a global demand
of 80 million tonnes. For this reason, the
aerospace industry is increasingly looking
to recycled alloys to satisfy their high de-
mand. There is also a push for innovation
in the materials used, as well as the design
structure of aircraft.
For instance, aluminum-lithium alloys have
been developed for the aerospace industry
to reduce the weight of aircraft and there-
fore improve performance of the aircraft.
Al-Lithium alloys are advanced materials
because of their low density, high specific
modulus, and excellent fatigue and cryo-
genic toughness properties.
As developing countries become more in-
volved in the aerospace industry, and with
increased investment, there will be further
innovation in aluminium alloys over the
years to come.
If you’re looking for a tool to compare en-
gineering material properties, Matmatch’s
online database helps you to find materials,
compare them side-by-side and choose ma-
terials that perfectly fit the intended applica-
tion, the budget for the project and your goals.
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