High Performance Materials in Aerospace

Aerospace presents an extremely challenging environment for structural materials and the development of new, or improved, materials: processes for material and for component production are the subject of continuous research activity. It is in the nature of high performance materials that the steps of material and of component production should not be considered in isolation from one another. Indeed, in some cases, the very process of material production may also incorporate part or all of the component production itself and, at the very least, will influence the choice of material/component production method to be employed. How­ ever, the developments currently taking place are to be discovered largely within the confines of specialist conferences or books each dedicated to perhaps a single element of the overall process. In this book contributors, experts drawn from both academia and the aerospace industry, have joined together to combine their individual knowledge to examine high performance aerospace materials in terms of their production, structure, properties and applications. The central interrelationships between the development of structure through the production route and between structure and the properties exhibited in the final component are considered. It is hoped that the book will be of interest to students of aeronautical engineering and of materials science, together with those working within the aerospace industry. Harvey M. Flower Imperial College 1 Design requirements for aerospace structural materials C. J. Peel and P. J. Gregson 1.

1 Design requirements for aerospace structural materials.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Properties that affect structural efficiency ab initio.- 1.3 Properties affecting cost of ownership.- 1.4 Cost-effective design.- 1.5 Concluding remarks.- References.- 2 Aluminium alloys: physical metallurgy, processing andproperties.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Aluminium alloys: processing and properties.- 2.3 Conventional aerospace aluminium alloys.- 2.4 Advanced aerospace aluminium alloys.- 2.5 Conclusions.- References.- Further reading.- 3 Titanium alloys: production, behaviour and application.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Brief summary of the metallurgy of conventional Ti alloys.- 3.3 The production of Ti alloys and Ti alloy components.- 3.4 The mechanical behaviour and properties of commonTi alloys.- 3.5 Ti-based intermetallic compounds.- 3.6 Summary.- Acknowledgements.- References.- Further reading.- 4 Nickel-based alloys: recent developments for the aero-gasturbine.- 4.1 Background.- 4.2 Alloy constitution and development trends.- 4.3 Processing developments.- 4.4 Microstructure and high temperature deformation.- 4.5 Turbine disk applications.- 4.6 Future prospects.- References.- 5 Structural steels.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Gear steels.- 5.3 Bearing steels.- 5.4 Ultra high strength steels.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 6 Ceramic materials in aerospace.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Monolithic and toughened ceramics.- 6.3 Composite ceramics.- 7 Polymeric-based composite materials.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Reinforcements.- 7.3 Matrices.- 7.4 Interface.- 7.5 Processing.- 7.6 Properties.- 7.7 Joining composites.- 7.8 Non-destructive testing (NDT).- 7.9 Advantages of composite materials.- 8 Metal-based composite materials.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Metal―ceramic composites.- 8.3 Laminates.- 8.4 Cost.- 8.5 Applications.- 8.6 Appendix.- References.- 9 Superplastic forming.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Superplasticity and its characteristics.- 9.3 Aerospace superplastic alloys.- 9.4 Post-superplastic straining mechanical properties.- 9.5 Superplastic forming (SPF).- 9.6 Advantages of SPF in aerospace structural design/manufacture.- 9.7 Aerospace applications of SPF.- 9.8 SPF/DB.- 9.9 Advantages of SPF/DB in aerospace structural design/manufacture.- 9.10 Aerospace applications of SPF/DB.- 9.11 Background to the application of SPF and SPF/DB in aerospace.- References.- 10 Joining advanced materials by diffusion bonding.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Diffusion bonding mechanisms.- 10.3 Effect of surface roughness and contamination on bondinterface defects.- 10.4 Testing of diffusion bonded joints.- 10.5 Diffusion bonding techniques of metals.- 10.6 Diffusion bonding of intermetallics.- 10.7 Diffusion bonding of ceramics.- 10.8 Diffusion bonding of composites.- 10.9 Diffusion bonding of dissimilar metallic materials.- 10.10 Diffusion bonding of metastable alloys.- 10.11 Manufacture of components by diffusion bonding techniques.- 10.12 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 11 Adhesive bonding for aerospace applications.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 Bonded wooden aircraft.- 11.3 Principles of bonding.- 11.4 Aerospace adhesive types.- 11.5 Surface treatments.- 11.6 Design of bonded joints.- References.- 12 Rapid solidification and powder technologies for aerospace.- 12.1 Introduction.- 12.2 Production technologies.- 12.3 Effects on microstructure.- 12.4 Benefits of rapid solidification foraerospace applications.- 12.5 Conclusions.- References.- 13 Hot isostatic processing.- 13.1 Introduction.- 13.2 Removal of porosity.- 13.3 Benefits of HIP.- 13.4 Applications of HIP.- 13.5 Powder products.- 13.6 Diffusion bonding.- 13.7 Other applications.