Aircraft aluminum sheets

Aircraft aluminum sheets

Aircraft aluminum sheets generally refers to aluminum alloys used in the aerospace industry. It has high strength, light weight and corrosion resistance. It is one of the important materials for manufacturing aerospace devices such as aircraft, rockets, missiles and spacecraft.

7075 aircraft aluminum sheet

Requirements for aircraft aluminum sheet

The high performance, light weight, high reliability, long life, and low cost of modern aircraft all place high demands on the materials and manufacturing technologies used in advanced aircraft.

High strength and light weight: Aviation components need to have sufficient strength to withstand various loads and stresses during flight, while remaining lightweight to improve flight performance and fuel efficiency. Therefore, aircraft aluminum sheet needs to have a high strength-to-weight ratio.

Excellent corrosion resistance: Aviation components are often in harsh environments, such as high humidity, salt spray, etc., so aviation aluminum needs to have good corrosion resistance, be able to resist oxidation, corrosion, and corrosion fatigue, and extend service life.

Good processing performance: Aviation aluminum needs to have good processing performance and can be manufactured into complex aviation components through various processing processes, such as forging, extrusion, stretching, casting, etc.

Weldability and repairability: Aviation components may be damaged during use, so aircraft aluminum sheet needs to have good welding performance and repairability for repair and replacement.

Compliance with aviation standards and specifications: The production and quality control of aviation aluminum must comply with aviation standards and specifications, such as specifications for aviation materials and certification requirements for aviation components, to ensure product safety and reliability.

Common alloys of Aircraft aluminum sheet

2024 aircraft aluminum sheet

2024 aviation aluminum alloy is a high-strength aluminum alloy with excellent strength, toughness and weldability. Due to its good cold working ability, it can be manufactured into parts of various shapes. Due to its high strength, low density and good corrosion resistance, 2024 aircraft aluminum sheet is widely used in aircraft fuselages, fuel tanks, flight surfaces, etc.

6061 aviation aluminum alloy

6061 aviation aluminum alloy is an aluminum alloy with good toughness and processing performance, with medium strength and good corrosion resistance. 6061 aluminum sheet is mainly used to manufacture aircraft structural parts, shells, wheels, etc.

2mm 6061 aluminum sheet

7075 aircraft aluminum sheet

7075 aircraft aluminum sheet is a high-strength aluminum alloy with high strength and good toughness. It is widely used to manufacture high-speed aircraft structural parts, shells, fasteners, etc. 7075 alloy has good wear resistance and antibacterial ability, and is widely used in the manufacture of high-end LED lamps, automotive parts and other fields.

Comparison of characteristics of aircraft aluminum sheets

Although 2024, 6061, and 7075 aluminum alloy are the three most commonly used alloys in aircraft aluminum sheet, their respective characteristics are also different:

1. 2024 aircraft aluminum sheets

Among the 2000 series aluminum alloys, 2024 is one of the most commonly used aluminum alloys. 2024 alloy is commonly used in T3 and T4 states, with high plasticity, fatigue life, fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth resistance, but poor corrosion resistance. The main semi-finished forms of this alloy are bars, plates, profiles, and pipes.

Advantages: high strength, good fatigue strength and corrosion resistance.

Disadvantages: poor corrosion resistance, easy to produce stress corrosion cracks.

Application: fuselage skin, wing lower wall panel.

2. 6061 aircraft aluminum sheets

Among the 6000 series aluminum alloys, 6061 aluminum sheet is one of the most commonly used aluminum alloys. 6061 alloy is commonly used in T4 and T6 states, and the main semi-finished forms are plates and pipes.

Advantages: good processing performance, moderate strength, and low cost.

Disadvantages: The strength is second only to 7075 alloy, but the corrosion resistance is poor.

Application: Used for aircraft parts and pipes that require high plasticity and high corrosion resistance.

Packaged aircraft aluminum sheet

3. 7075 aircraft aluminum sheets

Among the 7000 series aluminum alloys, 7075 is one of the more commonly used aluminum alloys. The commonly used heat treatment states of 7075 alloy are T6, T73, T76, and T74. The T6 state has the highest static strength, the lowest plasticity and toughness, poor fatigue resistance, and is sensitive to stress corrosion cracking. And the toughness decreases with the decrease of temperature, so the T6 state is not used for low-temperature working parts. The T73 state has the lowest strength, but has higher fracture toughness and excellent resistance to stress corrosion cracking and exfoliation corrosion; the T76 state performance is between T6 and T73, and the strength is lower than that of the T6 state. But the stress corrosion resistance is better. Compared with the T73 state, it has high strength, but poor stress corrosion resistance. The main semi-finished product forms are plates, bars, profiles, and forgings.

Advantages: high strength, good fatigue strength and antibacterial ability.

Disadvantages: expensive and difficult to process.

Application: widely used in important load-bearing parts of aircraft structures, such as wing upper wall panels, wing ribs, joints, etc.

Five major structures of an aircraft

1. Fuselage: The fuselage is mainly used to carry crew members, flight attendants, passengers, cargo, equipment, etc.

When flying at high altitudes, the fuselage pressurized cabin is subject to internal pressure, and it is necessary to use hard aluminum with high tensile strength and fatigue resistance as the skin material.

The fuselage bulkhead is generally made of super-hard aluminum, and the reinforcement frame that bears a large load is made of high-strength structural steel or titanium alloy.

2. Wing: The wing is the main component that generates lift, supporting the aircraft to fly in the air, and also plays a certain role in stability and control

Aircraft structure display

As the main load-bearing member, the wing beam is generally made of super-hard aluminum and steel or titanium alloy.

Due to the different stress conditions of the upper and lower wing surfaces, the wing skin is made of super-hard aluminum with good compressive resistance and hard aluminum with good tensile and fatigue resistance

In order to reduce weight, the leading and trailing edges of the wing are often made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) or aluminum honeycomb sandwich structure.

Honeycomb composite materials are used in aircraft wings, which have more excellent light weight and pressure resistance.

3. Empennage: It is a component that balances, stabilizes and controls the flight attitude of the aircraft, including the horizontal tail and the vertical tail.

The structural material of the aircraft tail is generally super-durable aluminum.

4. Landing Gear: The landing gear of an aircraft is mostly composed of shock-absorbing struts and wheels, and its function is to support the aircraft during takeoff, landing, ground taxiing and parking.

5. Powerplant: The powerplant, also known as the aviation power system, is mainly used to generate pulling force or thrust to make the aircraft move forward.