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A Review on use of Aluminium Alloys in Aircraft Components

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A REVIEW ON USE OF ALUMINIUM ALLOYS IN AIRCRAFT

COMPONENTS
By

YASHPAL * C.S. JAWALKAR ** SUMAN KANT ***

* Research Scholar, Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, India.
**_*** Assistant Professor, Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, India.

ABSTRACT
In aerospace applications, materials with high strength to weight ratios along with properties such as excellent corrosion
resistance, light weight, creep resistance and high thermal strength are needed. Also cost parameters need to be
considered without compromising with quality. In accordance with the properties required; aluminium, titanium,
magnesium, nickel and their alloys are mostly used in aerospace industries for making most of its sub components. In this
paper, a detailed review has been presented on Al based alloy used in making aircraft structures and components. The
characteristics of metallic components for aircraft seats are discussed. It has been found that, the aluminum alloys are
the major contributors for aircraft components. The aluminium alloys (2xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx and 8xxx) are found to be the
prominent ones. Among these, the 8xxx series is widely used due to its low density.
Keywords: Materials, Aluminium, Creep Resistance, Corrosion Resistance, Alloys.

INTRODUCTION structures would increase the engine performance by

Today's aircraft industry is demanding high support from its
raw material suppliers. On one hand, they expect low cost
materials for current aircraft versions while on the other
hand, new approaches and advanced materials are
desired to face the challenges of next century mass air
transportations [1].
Ever since the first day of powered flight, aircraft designers
are trying to achieve minimum weight. Starting from 1903
to till date, absolute minimum weight and strength to
weight ratio are the major priorities for material selection [2].
In initial times of aircraft development for about 25 years,
airframe used was made of wooden structure laced by
wires and covered with fabrics.
In the development of next generation aircrafts, important
features considered are the lighter, stiffer and stronger, less
fatigue sensitive and more damage tolerant of materials
for airframes and engines [3]. In early of twenty first century,
Titanium alloys and Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) with
continuous fibre reinforcement were used for weight
reductions of 40-60% in aircrafts; furthermore, it was
expected that, use of fibre reinforced polymers, MMCs and
ceramic-matrix composites in aircraft engines and
more than 50%.
The new advanced processing technologies are also
being developed to produce high-performance alloys
and composites in a cost effective manner. The aircraft
industries have global competition between airlines and
manufacturers, forcing them to cut down the life cycle cost
of the aircraft [4]. The new lighter metallic materials;
aluminium matrix composites, hybrid polymer metal
composites for airframes and titanium based metal matrix
composites for engine applications are being developed,
which are capable of service temperatures beyond the
capabilities of polymer based materials [3].
1. Materials used in Aerospace Applications
The aerospace materials must carry the structural and
aerodynamic loads while being inexpensive and easy to
fabricate. The aircraft material should not crack, corrode,
oxidize or suffer other forms of damage while operating
under adverse conditions that involve high loads, freezing
and high temperatures, lightning strikes and hail impact,
and exposure to potentially corrosive fluids such as jet fuel,
lubricants and paint strippers. In addition to high
mechanical properties and long-term durability, it is

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essential that, the materials must be lighter in weight. The
savings in weight by using light materials are structurally
efficient and it results in less fuel burn, greater range and
speed, and smaller engine requirements [5]. The rising fuel
costs and higher performance requirements have resulted
in renewed interest in alternative materials, distinguished by
greater strength to weight ratios [19].
Materials used for aero engine are generally alloys of steel,
aluminium, titanium, magnesium and nickel. Other
materials used are carbon, ceramic and composites.
Carbon composites are now gaining more recognition
due to their improved properties and manufacturing
processes [6].
2. Aluminium based Alloys
The high strength to weight ratio of aluminium favors the
selection of aluminium alloys in critical weight applications.
Aluminium alloys are the prime choice for fuselages, wings
and support structure of commercial airlines and military
cargo. The performance characteristics, fabrication cost,
design experience and well known fabrication techniques
are a few reasons for continuous use of aluminium alloys in
significant quantities for future aircrafts [2]. The first
superplastic aluminium production aircraft parts were
made from aluminium alloy 2004 and the produced parts
were seat ejector components.
The 2000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series are extensively used
in aircraft structures. The experimental investigation was
carried out on a series of aircraft structural wrought
aluminium alloys, for characterization. The potential for
mechanical performance was compared with the
respective conventional alloys for aircraft structural
applications and ranking was given on the basis of its
potential for mechanical performance by involving the
quality indices. These advanced alloys are currently in use
for aircraft structural applications. The alloys made from
2xxx series (2024 and 2091), 6xxx series (6013), 7xxx series
(7050, 7075 and 7175) and 8xxx series (8090) were kept in
first group. The second group contained newly developed
wrought aluminium alloys for aircraft industry; 2024, 2024
HP (High purity), Al-Mg-Li (Bare - B), Al-Mg-Li (Stretched
formed – SF), Al-Mg-Sc (Bare - B), Al-Mg-Sc (Cold formed -
CF). These alloys along with their mechanical properties are
34 i-manager’s Journal on Material Science, Vol. 3 l
illustrated in Table 1. In Table 1, data has been generated
by cutting the specimens in both longitudinal (L) and
longitudinal transverse (LT) directions. Tensile specimens
were machined according to the ASTM E8M [7].
The creep behavior of 30 newly developed aluminium
alloys (2000, 6000 and 8000 series) were investigated
experimentally for structural applications for the next
generation Supersonic Civil Transport Aircrafts. All creep
tests were conducted according to ASTM E139 standards
using constant load creep machines. The creep results
obtained from the plates were slightly better than from the
sheets. The creep resistance is sensitive even for slight
variations of the alloy chemical compositions [8].
The 2024 alloy sheets have excellent fracture toughness
and fatigue crack propagation characteristics. They also
posses higher damage tolerance and longer term
durability for aerospace applications. The fracture
toughness testing was made according to ASTM E651 and
ASTM B646 standards. The fatigue crack propagation
testing was made according to the ASTM E647 standard.
The dispersoid spacing had little or no effect on fracture
toughness. At high ∆K level, ie. 15 MPa m1/2 or higher
dispersoid spacing, had no effect on crack propagation
rate. At low ∆K level, equal to 15 MPa m1/2 or lower, the
fatigue crack propagation rate decreased. At high and low
∆K levels, the propagation rate decreased as the
constituent spacing was broadened [9].
Currently, the 7000 series Al–Zn alloys are being used for
strength; 2000 series Al–Cu alloys are used for fatigue
critical applications, since these alloys are more damage
tolerant, while Al–Li alloys are chosen where high stiffness
and lower densities are required. The 2024-T3 has been the
most widely used alloys in fuselage construction. The 7055-
T7751 has a yield stress that may exceed 620 MPa and the
estimated weight saving is high (upto 635kg) in the Boeing
aircraft 777. The most effective way to reduce the structural
weight of the aircraft is by reducing the density of materials.
Li has very less density of approximately 0.54 g/cm3 and it is
highly soluble in aluminium and increases the elastic
modulus by 6% for each 1% Li addition. The new
generation of 2199 Al-Li alloy sheets and plates are
capable to be used in aircraft fuselages and lower wing
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applications. The 2060 and 2050 are the newest 3rd
generation Al-Li alloys. Alloy 2060 has 0.75 wt. % of Li and
Alloy 2050 has 1.15 wt.% of Li; these alloys have excellent
properties like thermal stability, corrosion resistance, high
strength and light weight. These alloys offer 10% weight
saving and 30% less expense to manufacture, operate
and repair [10].
The aluminium alloy 7050-T7451 is used in flight critical
airframe structural components mainly due to the
technical characteristics associated with its fabrication,
service and maintenance. The modelling framework has
been applied to predict the cyclic lifetime of the 7050 alloy
using process variants based on the populations of life
limiting microstructural features, thereby allowing the
effects of material pedigree to be predictively linked with
the structural integrity of end components [11].
Depending on the seats used in long range aircrafts, they
contain up to 44.1 - 42.7 wt% of aluminium. The major
metallic components of seats include backrests and
armrest, rear and front legs, seat spreaders and beams;
each with slight different requirements in strength, ductility
and bending properties; and should have sufficient level of
fatigue and corrosion resistance. The 7055-T77511 and 3
generation Al-Li alloy (2099-T83) are used for seat structures
requiring high loads [12].
The fatigue tests were conducted for fatigue crack
nucleation in 7075-T6 and 7079-T6 alloy sheets according
to the ASTM E446 standard. The uncoated thin (1.6mm)
and thick (4 mm) specimens were loaded in transverse
direction to 310 MPa and 303 MPa, respectively. The 7075-
T6511 (old, unused, thick 4.1 mm, anodized both sides,
shot peened on one side interior side) and 7079-T6 (old,
used, thin 1.7 mm, anodized both sides, shot peened on
one side interior side) specimens were loaded in
longitudinal direction to a maximum stress of 207 MPa. The
fatigue performance of old and coated specimens were
inferior as compared to the new uncoated specimens. In
designing the fins of the Airbus A310, horizontal stabilizer of
Airbus A340 and the Boeing 777, aluminium alloys was the
primary material choice for airbus. The 7079-T6 material
had seen long service as part of the fuselage skin of a
transport aircraft [13].
The impurities Fe and Si coarse constituents in 2xxx, 7xxx
and 8xxx alloys, results in lower fracture toughness and
effect on both fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack
growth resistance. The Al-Mg-Li alloy 1420 and the Al-Li-Cu-
X alloys 2090 and 8090 are now in service in the MIG 29
rd and the EH1 helicopter [14].
Future structural research issues involve integrating existing
and new materials into functional systems with high-quality

RP Rm Af W r Qo KD QD St. Dev.of QD Qos QDS

Wrought Al Alloys (Mpa) (Mpa) (%) (MJ/m3) (g/cm3) (Mpa) (--) (MPa) (MPa) (J/g) (J/g)

2024 T3 L 338 457 22.5 94.4 2.77 1281 1.98 2538.8 39.8 462.6 916.5

2024 T3 LT 299 446 21.2 87.1 2.77 1169 1.99 2322.1 31.6 422.3 838.2

2024 T3 HP L 359 460 23.1 97.4 2.77 1332 1.89 2512.6 224.5 480.9 905.3

2024 T3 HP LT 313 450 22.4 92.7 2.77 1240 1.91 2374.1 158.1 447.6 856.1

Al–Mg–Li–B L 363 486 6.5 30.4 2.71 667 1.96 1308.2 14.5 246.1 482.7

Al–Mg–Li–B LT 322 486 11.9 53.7 2.71 859 1.97 1697.6 31.2 317.2 626.4

Al–Mg–Li–SF L 359 485 6.6 30.9 2.71 667 1.95 1301.7 70.4 246.5 479.9

Al–Mg–Li–SF LT 327 491 12.2 55.6 2.71 883 1.96 1739.1 65.9 326.1 641.5

Al–Mg–Sc–B L 273 393 12.2 43.9 2.73 711 1.93 1378.9 94.3 260.7 504.5

Al–Mg–Sc–CF L 282 401 13.1 48.6 2.73 768 1.97 1518.9 27.4 281.6 556.3

Al–Mg–Sc–CF LT 280 391 18.8 69.1 2.73 971 1.97 1911.6 70.3 355.6 700.1

Legend: RP denotes the yield strength, Rm denotes tensile strength, Af denotes elongation to facture, W denotes strain energy, ρ denotes density, KD is
dimensionless factor, QO is quality index average of value of mechanical properties, QD is Quality index which accounts scatter in tensile properties when
characterizing mechanical performance, QOS characterize the specific tensile performance of material, QDS denotes specific quality index.
Table 1. Mechanical Properties and Mechanical Performance Evaluation of the Advanced Wrought Aluminum Alloys [7]

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and low-cost features. The future efforts should address vehicles for different flight regimes, for planetary
innovative materials processing, low-cost fabrication and atmospheric entry and for flights throughout the solar
other technology challenges to enable more affordable, system [16]. Figure 1 illustrates some critical parts in an
lighter, higher, stronger and stiffer, safer and more durable aircraft structure and Table 2 illustrates the materials used in

Figure1. Critical Parts in Aircraft Structure

Component Material Al alloy series Major Alloying Elements Material Properties

Al 2017
Front Legs of seat [12] Good machining , High strength
Al 2024
Al 2xxx Copper / Magnesium alloy, High fatigue strength,
Wing Leading Edge [3] Al 2024 Corrosion resistance with cladding
Seat Ejectors [2] Al 2004
Backrests and Armrests [12] Al 6××× High strength, Good formability
Al 6xxx Magnesium / Silicon
Al 6013 and Weldability, Corrosion resistance
Fuselage skins, stringers and Al 6050
bulkheads [10] Al 7050
Al 7079
Wing skins, panels and covers
[13] Al 7075
Rear Legs of seat and seat
Highest strength aluminium alloy,
spreaders [12] Al 7xxx Zinc / Magnesium / Copper
High toughness, Good machinability
Wing spars, ribs [3]
7055 -T77
Wheels and landing gear links
[15]
Horizontal and Vertical stabilizers
[10] Al 7×××

Upper and lower wing skins 8090-T86,

[10,15,17] 2055-T8
2199-T8E80
2090-T83,
Floor sections of the aircraft [3] Low density, Excellent fatigue
2090-T62
Al 8xxx Lithium / Copper / Magnesium and toughness, crack growth
Seat Structure [12] 2090 -T83 resistance
Supporting members of fuselage 8090-T651,
structure [15] 2090-T651

Table 2. Application of Aluminium alloys in Aircraft Components

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these aircraft components with their grades and alloying
elements.
Giummara et al. (2007) have compared the Al-Li alloys
(2099 and 2199) for aerospace applications, with 2024. As
compared to 2024, the 2199 (T8E80 and T8E79 tempers)
plates have less density, better corrosion resistance, better
toughness and yield strengths. The 2099-T83 extrusion alloys
have high tensile, compression, shear strength compared
to 2024-T83 and also have better corrosion resistance,
higher modulus and lower density. In comparison to 2024-
T3, the 2199-T8 prime sheets have higher toughness,
modulus, yield strengths and improved fatigue crack
growth resistance. After conducting the trade study, the
alloy 2199 plates are suitable for lower wing skin, 2199
sheets for the fuselage skin and 2099 extruded sections for
the lower wing stringers. The use of composites materials in
airframes is growing rapidly. This is seen in commercial
aircrafts such as Airbus A380, A350XWB and Boeing 787 as
well as business aircrafts such as Raytheon and Dassault.
The increased usage of composites is being driven by its
performance improvement compared to conventional
aluminium alloys. The composites offer benefits in both
reduced weight and maintenance costs (longer
inspection intervals, better corrosion resistance) [17].
o
The Al-Li alloy (8090-T651) with melting range of 600-655 C,
could be used to build the extendable nose. The future
supersonic/hypersonic aircrafts are being designed to
cruise at speeds beyond 5.0 mach; which may heat up the
structure to a temperature above 400 oC. This operating
condition demands the development of advanced
composites that can withstand high temperature gradients
[18].
Conclusions
In the last few years, number of researches have been
carried out on materials based on processing of aluminium
based alloys. It has been found that, these alloys offer
tremendous opportunities for savings in the aircraft weight
and further improvements in the engine performance are
possible.
The 2000 series alloys offer strength and damage
tolerance, the 6000 series are conducive to good
corrosion resistance and improved machinability, the 7000
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October - December 2015
series alloys offer higher strength potential and 8000 series
alloys provide opportunities for high temperature
performance.
Through these published findings, it can be concluded
that, the exact set of required properties depend on the
specific requirements and applications.
·Certain properties such as low density, good fatigue
performance, high wear, corrosion resistance and low
cost are seen as universal requirements for effective
functioning in the aerospace industry.
·New concepts in nanotechnology will promote these
implementation procedures despite current existing
scientific challenges.
·Some of the new concepts relate to the development
of metal-matrix composites for aerospace
applications, which have potential to reduce weight
and improve the material properties.
·Innovations and hybridization of Al based alloys and its
processing techniques can further boost up the
performance efficiency in aircrafts.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Yashpal is currently a Research Scholar in the Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, PEC University of Technology,
Chandigarh, India. He has 4 years of Industrial and Teaching experience. He has work experience as a Production Engineer in
Vardhman Steel Industries Ltd. (manufacturing of CGL, CCL and cold rolling sheets). He has completed M.E. (Production
Engineering) from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh and B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) from Kurukshetra University,
Kurukshetra. He has published six papers in reputed Journals and Conferences. His areas of research include Metal Matrix
Composite, Advanced Manufacturing and Machining.

Dr. Chandrashekhar Jawalkar is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Production and Industrial
Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh. He has obtained Ph.D from IIT Roorkee, in January 2014 and also possesses
ME (Production) and MBA (Marketing) degrees. He has a total experience of 19 years in the core manufacturing area; comprising
both industrial and teaching assignments. He has published a book titled- “Case Study on Burnishing and Grinding using Design of
Experiments” (Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany). He is a certified ISO 9000 auditor and published more than
40 research papers in Journals and reputed Conferences. His areas of research include Advanced Manufacturing, Machining,
Quality Management and Supply Chain Management.

Dr. Suman Kant is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Production and Industrial Engineering, PEC
University of Technology, Chandigarh, India. He has been teaching for 12 years. He has completed both M.Tech and Ph.D from IIT,
Roorkee. He has published more than 30 papers in reputed Journals and Conferences. His areas of interest are Quality Control,
Industrial Engineering, Continuous Casting and Experimental Design.

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