Aluminium alloys are used in aircraft

Aluminium alloy sheets for the space shuttle

Whether designing a commercial aircraft or building a sophisticated space shuttle, aluminium alloys are a vital material. Most commonly used in the manufacture of fuselages, wings and support structures, aluminium alloys bring a range of benefits to aircraft and space flight engineering. Aluminium alloys for aerospace applications are used to handle the sub-zero temperatures encountered in the frozen vacuum of space. On the other hand, aluminium alloy sheets used in aircraft construction are durable and resistant to a wide range of corrosions. The high stability of these alloys makes them ideal for use in mechanical components which also benefit from aluminium's high electrical conductivity.

Aluminium alloys are used in aircraft primarily as structural materials such as skins, frames, propellers, fuel tanks, wall panels and landing gear struts. The development of aluminium alloy sheets for use in aerospace can be divided into several stages: in the 1950s the main objective was to reduce weight and improve the specific stiffness and strength of the alloy; from the 1960s to the 1970s the main objective was to improve the durability and damage tolerance of the alloy, with the development of 7XXX series alloys T73 and T76 heat treatment systems, 7050 alloys and high purity alloys; in the 1980s due to rising fuel prices and the requirement to In the 1980s, the demand for further structural weight reduction was due to rising fuel prices; from the 1990s to the present, the development of aluminium alloy sheets for the space shuttle has been aimed at further weight reduction and further improvement of the durability and damage tolerance of the alloys. For example, the development of new aluminium alloys with high strength, high toughness and high corrosion resistance, and the extensive use of thick plates machined into complex monolithic structural components instead of components previously assembled with many parts, will not only reduce the weight of the structure, but also ensure stable performance. To achieve this, we need to develop aluminium alloy thick plate materials for aerospace applications with low internal stress.