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U.S. Department of Energy
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Aluminum alloys for ALS cryogenic tanks: Comparative measurements of cryogenic mechanical properties of Al-Li alloys and alloy 2219, February 1993

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6520139

Tensile and fracture toughness were obtained at cryogenic temperatures to compare the Al-Li alloys 8090, 2090, and WL049, and alloy 2219 in various tempers and specimen orientations. The strongest alloy at very low temperatures is WL049-T851, which is about 10 percent stronger than 2090-T81. Both alloys are considerably stronger than 2219-T87. Alloy 2090-T81 is tougher (about 50 percent) than WL049-T851 at low temperatures; the higher toughness is attributed to the presence of fewer constituent particles and the tendency to delaminate at low temperatures. The delamination divides the moving crack, thus separating it into smaller regions where plane stress (rather than plane strain) conditions are conducive to increased toughness.

Research Organization:
National Inst. of Standards and Technology (MSEL), Boulder, CO (United States). Materials Reliability Div.
OSTI ID:
6520139
Report Number(s):
PB-93-173441/XAB; NISTIR--3979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English