A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 2 1 1 ALLOYS FOR AIRCRAFT Scientists studying aluminum alloys at the atomic level found patterns that will help improve their structure. Researchers from the Belgorod State University and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) studied aluminum alloys used in aircraft structures. They say these alloys have a wealth of advantages, such as small weight and resistance to wear and fracture at elevated temperatures, as well as cyclic and shock loads. The findings will be useful for developing new alloys for modern aircraft, according to the researchers. The work focused on the aluminum, copper, magnesium, silver (Al-Cu-Mg-Ag) system used for wing and fuselage skin. Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloying helps obtain high heat resistance alloys, but the evolution of the alloy’s structure and mechanical properties in various thermal or thermomechanical treatment modes and operating conditions is still not well understood. Working with the Al-Cu-Mg-Ag system, scientists observed the formation of dispersed particles with a thickness of only a few nanometers, making the alloys much stronger despite their small size. “In addition,” explains Skoltech researcher Anton Boev, “the particles turned out to be coherent and fit well into the aluminum matrix, like pieces of a puzzle, although with slight distortions in their atomic structure. Also, we found that the particles’ structure and, therefore, the heat-treated alloy’s Courtesy of Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain. mechanical behavior change according to a certain pattern.” The combination of mechanical properties obtained by the team will help extend the lifetime of aircraft structures made from these materials. www.bsu.edu.ru/en, www. skoltech.ru/en.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTYyMzk3NQ==