Manufacturing Technology for Aerospace Structural Materials

This book is intended for anyone wishing to learn more about the materials and manufacturing processes used to fabricate and assemble advanced aerospace structures. The
remarkable performance characteristics of modern aerospace vehicles are, to a large
degree, a result of the high performance materials and manufacturing technology used in
both the airframes and propulsion systems. To obtain continual performance increases,
designers are constantly searching for lighter, stronger and more durable materials.
Chapter 1 gives a brief overview of the structural materials that are used in aerospace
structures. The next five chapters are then devoted to the important metals, namely
aluminum, magnesium, beryllium, titanium, high strength steels and superalloys.
Aluminum alloys (Chapter 2) have been the main airframe material since they started
replacing wood in the early 1920s. Even though the role of aluminum in future commercial aircraft will probably be somewhat eroded by the increasing use of composite
materials, high strength aluminum alloys are and will remain important airframe materials.