Aluminum-lithium for aerospace

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · Advanced Materials and Processes

OSTI ID:415461

Fielding, P S; Wolf, G J ^[1]

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1. Reynolds Metals Co., Richmond, VA (United States)

Aluminum-lithium alloys were developed primarily to reduce the weight of aircraft and aerospace structures. Lithium is the lightest metallic element, and each 1% of lithium added to aluminum reduces alloy density by about 3% and increases modulus by about 5%. Though lithium has a solubility limit of 4.2% in aluminum, the amount of lithium ranges between 1 and 3% in commercial alloys. Aluminum-lithium alloys are most often selected for aerospace components because of their low density, high strength, and high specific modulus. However, other applications now exploit their excellent fatigue resistance and cryogenic toughness.

• OSTI ID: 415461
• Journal Information: Advanced Materials and Processes, Journal Name: Advanced Materials and Processes Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 150; ISSN 0882-7958; ISSN AMAPEX
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS
ALUMINIUM BASE ALLOYS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COPPER ALLOYS
DESIGN
ECONOMICS
HELICOPTERS
LITHIUM ALLOYS
MAGNESIUM ADDITIONS
MANGANESE ADDITIONS
MANUFACTURING
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
SILVER ADDITIONS
SPACE SHUTTLES
WEIGHT
WELDABILITY