Advanced aluminium alloys for aircraft and aerospace applications

Abstract

Aluminium has been the dominant material in the aircraft industry for a half century due to its attractive combination of light weight, strength, ductility, corrosion resistance, ease of assembly and low cost. This dominance is being challenged by new materials offering potential weight savings and fuel economies. The aluminum industry has countered this challenge by developing a number of advanced materials of its own: rapidly solidified alloys, metal matrix composites and aluminum-lithium alloys. Performance and cost considerations favour the last in most situations, and a considerable effort is under way to commercialize AlLi alloy products. State-of-the-art aluminum lithium alloys show promising property levels, particularly strength and elastic modulus. Steady improvements in ductility and fracture toughness are resulting from industry-wide development work, particularly with the AlCuLi and AlLiCuMg alloy systems.