Aircraft grade aluminum alloy is also called as aviation aluminum alloy. Aviation grade aluminum alloy is a by-product of the development of China's aviation industry. It continues the characteristics of aviation aluminum alloy's high strength, high pressure resistance, and oxidation resistance. Its texture is far superior to ordinary aluminum alloys, but the price is more close to the people than other aviation products and more acceptable to the public. Aluminum alloy aircraft grade has a series of advantages such as low density, high specific strength, strong corrosion resistance, easy thermal conductivity, good plasticity and processability, and low cost. It has always been the main material for large aircraft body structures in aviation.
The application and development of aircraft grade aluminum alloys in aerospace can be divided into 4 stages:
1, The main goal in the 1950s was to reduce weight and improve the specific stiffness and strength of aircraft alloys;
2. In the 1960s and 1970s, the main goal was to improve the durability and damage tolerance of alloys, and developed 7XXX series alloys T73 and T76 heat treatment systems, 7050 alloys and high-purity alloys;
3. In the 1980s, due to the increase in fuel prices, further reductions in structural weight were required;
4. Since the 1990s, the development goal of aircraft grade aluminum sheet alloys is to further reduce weight and further improve the durability and damage tolerance of alloys.
The traditional aircraft grade aluminum alloys for large aircraft structures are mainly high-strength 2000 series (2024, 2224, 2324, 2424, 2524, etc.) aluminum alloy and ultra-high-strength 7000 series (7075, 7475, 7050, 7150, 7055 , 7085, etc.) aluminum alloy. After the 1980s, although there was competition from new materials such as aluminum alloys, rapidly solidified aluminum alloys, and composite materials, the traditional 2000 series and 7000 series aluminum alloys still showed strong vitality.