Advantages differences between titanium aluminium for aerospace applications

The Perspective Of Cutting-Edge Scientific Exploration Development, Science Once Published An Article Pointing Out That Modern Industry Requires Structural Materials To Have High Strength, Fracture Toughness Stiffness, While Reducing Weight As Much As Possible. In This Case, Lightweight High-Strength Alloys Represented By Aluminum Titanium, Load-Bearing Heat-Resistant Alloys Represented By Ni-Based High-Temperature Alloys Have Become One Of The Key Materials Developed In New Material Research Development Plans Of Various Countries, Are Also Important Application Materials In Laser Additive Manufacturing. Below, Huiwen Will Briefly Analyze The Advantages Differences Of Titanium Aluminum In Aerospace Application Materials.

Advantages Differences Between Titanium Aluminum

Aluminum Alloys Titanium Alloys, Due To Their Excellent Low Density Structural Strength, Are Widely Used In Aerospace, Automobile, Machinery Manufacturing Other Fields, Whether Using 3D Printing  CNC Processing . They Occupy A Very Important Position In The Aviation Industry, Are The Main Structural Materials In The Aviation Industry.

Both Titanium Aluminum Are Very Light, But There Are Differences Between The Two. Although Titanium Weighs About Two-Thirds More Than Aluminum, Its Inherent Strength Means That Less Can Be Used To Achieve The Required Strength. Titanium Alloys Are Widely Used In Aircraft Jet Engines Various Types Of Spacecraft. Its Strength Low Density Can Reduce Fuel Costs. The Density Of Aluminum Alloy Is Only One-Third Of That Of Steel. It Is The Most Widely Used Most Common Lightweight Material For Automobiles At This Stage. Studies Have Shown That Aluminum Alloy Can Be Used Up To 540kg In A Whole Vehicle, Which Will Reduce The Weight Of The Car By 40%. The All-Aluminum Bodies Of Vehicles Brands Such As Audi Toyota Are Good Examples.

Since Both Materials Have High Strength Low Density, There Are Other Differences That Must Be Considered When Deciding Which Alloy To Use.

Strength/Weight: In Critical Situations, Every Gram Of A Part Counts, But When Higher Strength Is Required, Titanium Is The Best Choice. For This Reason, Titanium Alloys Are Used In The Manufacture Of Medical Devices/Implants, Complex Satellite Components, Fixtures Brackets, Etc.

Cost: Aluminum Is The Most Cost-Effective Metal For Machining  3D Printing; Titanium Is More Expensive, But It Can Still Drive Value Leaps. The Fuel Savings Of Lightweight Parts For Aircraft Spacecraft Will Bring Huge Benefits, While Titanium Alloy Parts Have A Longer Service Life.

Thermal Properties: Aluminum Alloys Have High Thermal Conductivity Are Often Used To Make Radiators; For High-Temperature Applications, Titanium's High Melting Point Makes It More Suitable, Aircraft Engines Contain A Large Number Of Titanium Alloy Components.

Corrosion Resistance: Both Aluminum Titanium Have Excellent Corrosion Resistance.

Titanium’s Corrosion Resistance Low Reactivity Make It The Most Biocompatible Metal Is Widely Used In Medical Applications Such As Surgical Instruments. Ti64 Also Resists Salt Environments Well Is Often Used In Marine Applications.

Aluminum Alloys Titanium Alloys Are Widely Used In The Aerospace Field. Titanium Alloys Have High Strength Low Density (Only About 57% Of Steel), Their Specific Strength (Strength/Density) Is Much Greater Than Other Metal Structural Materials. They Can Be Used To Produce Parts With High Unit Strength, Good Rigidity Light Weight. Aircraft Engine Components, Frames, Skins, Fasteners Landing Gear Can All Be Made Of Titanium Alloys. 3D Printing Technology References Consults The Data Found That Aluminum Alloys Are Suitable For Working In An Environment Below 200°C. The Aluminum Used In The Fuselage Of Airbus A380 Accounts For More Than 1/3, C919 Also Uses A Large Amount Of Conventional High-Performance Aluminum Alloy Materials. Aircraft Skins, Bulkheads, Wing Ribs, Etc. Can All Be Made Of Aluminum Alloys.

The Main Materials Of The Aircraft Fuselage Are: Aluminum Alloy, Titanium Alloy, Composite Materials, High-Temperature Alloys. The Shenzhen Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd. Team Was Established In 2010 Is Located On The 1st Floor, Building F3, Tianyou Maker Industrial Park, Lixinhu, Fuyong, Bao'an District, Shenzhen. It Has Long Been Committed To The Processing Of High-Precision, High-Difficulty, Easy-To-Deform Metal Plastic Parts , Small Medium-Sized Batch Production Of Lightweight Alloy Composite Materials (Such As Aluminum Alloy, Carbon Fiber, Etc.) Parts,  Robot Parts Procurement Customization Services.

Titanium Alloy Additive Manufacturing The Aerospace Industry

As Deloitte's 2019 Global Aerospace Defense Industry Outlook Points Out, As The Aerospace Defense Industry Continues To Grow, Production Needs Will Continue To Grow. Moreover, When Designing For Aerospace Defense Applications, Material Selection Is Critical. For Components That Leave The Ground, Reducing The Number Of Components Reducing Weight Is Critical. In These Areas, Every 1g Of Weight Reduction Will Bring Great Benefits.

Titanium Has An Extremely High Melting Point Of Over 1600°C Is Also A Typical Difficult-To-Process Material, Which Is The Main Reason Why It Costs More Than Other Metals. Ti6Al4V Is Currently The Most Widely Used Titanium Alloy Material. It Is Only Lightweight, But Also Has High Strength High Temperature Resistance, Which Makes It Popular In The Aerospace Field. Common Applications Include The Manufacture Of Blades, Disks, Casings Other Parts For Engine Fans Compressors Working In The Low-Temperature Section, With An Operating Temperature Range Of 400-500°C; It Is Also Used To Manufacture Fuselage Space Capsule Components, Rocket Engine Boxes, Helicopter Rotor Hubs. However, Although Titanium Has High Resistance To High Temperatures Corrosion, It Has Poor Electrical Conductivity, So It Is A Bad Choice In Electrical Applications. Compared With Other Lightweight Metals Such As Aluminum, Titanium Alloys Are Also More Expensive.

Titanium Use In The Aerospace Industry Is Expanding, With Use In Doors, Wings, Landing Gear Engine Components

The Use Of Additive Manufacturing Technology Is Conducive To Reducing Processing Costs Reducing The Waste Of Raw Materials, Has Significant Economic Advantages. Titanium-Based Alloys Are Also The Most Systematic Mature Alloy System For Additive Manufacturing Research. Additive Manufacturing Titanium Alloy Components Have Been Used As Load-Bearing Structures In The Aviation Field. According To The Survey Of 3D Printing Technology Reference, Aero Met Company Of The United States Began To Trial-Produce Titanium Alloy Secondary Load-Bearing Structure Test Pieces For Boeing F/A-18E/F Carrier-Based Joint Fighter/Attack Aircraft In Small Batches In 2001, Took The Lead In Realizing The Application Of LMD Titanium Alloy Secondary Load-Bearing Structure Parts On F/A-18 Verification Aircraft In 2002. Beijing University Of Aeronautics Astronautics Has Made Breakthroughs In The Key Technology Of Titanium Alloy Laser Additive Manufacturing, The Comprehensive Mechanical Properties Of The Alloys Are Significantly Higher Than Those Of Forgings. The Large Main Load-Bearing Titanium Alloy Frames Other Components Developed Have Been Installed On Aircraft. Northwestern Polytechnical University Used Laser Additive Manufacturing Technology To Manufacture The Upper Lower Edge Strip Samples Of The Central Wing Ribs Of The C919 Aircraft For Commercial Aircraft Corporation Of China, With A Size Of 3000mm×350mm×450mm A Mass Of 196kg.

The Large Titanium Alloy Main Load-Bearing Frame Printed By Beihang University Has Been Used In The New Generation Of Fighter Jets Large Transport Aircraft Of The Domestic Navy Air Force.

Aluminum Alloy Additive Manufacturing The Aerospace Industry

Aluminum-Based Alloys Have Low Density, High Specific Strength, Strong Corrosion Resistance, Good Formability, Good Physical Properties Mechanical Properties, Are The Most Widely Used Type Of Non-Ferrous Metal Structural Materials In Industry. For Laser Additive Manufacturing, Aluminum-Based Materials Are Typical Difficult-To-Process Materials, Which Is Determined By Their Special Physical Properties (Low Density, Low Laser Absorption Rate, High Thermal Conductivity Easy Oxidation, Etc.). The Perspective Of Additive Manufacturing Forming Process, Aluminum Alloys Have A Low Density Relatively Poor Powder Fluidity. The Uniformity Of Laying On The SLM Forming Powder Bed Is Poor The Continuity Of Powder Transportation Is Poor During The LMD Process. Therefore, The Precision Accuracy Of The Powder Laying/Powder Feeding System In Laser Additive Manufacturing Equipment Are Required To Be High.

At Present, The Aluminum Alloys Used In Additive Manufacturing Are Mainly Al-Si Alloys, Among Which AlSi10Mg AlSi12 With Good Fluidity Have Been Widely Studied. However, Due To The Material Nature Of Al-Si Alloy Cast Aluminum Alloys, Although They Are Prepared Using Optimized Laser Additive Manufacturing Processes, Their Tensile Strength Is Difficult To Exceed 400MPa, Which Limits Their Use In Load-Bearing Components With Higher Service Performance Requirements In Fields Such As Aerospace.

Aluminum Alloys Are Used In Aircrafts Up To 20%

In Order To Further Obtain Higher Mechanical Properties, Many Companies Universities At Home Abroad Have Accelerated Their Research Development Pace In Recent Years, A Large Number Of High-Strength Aluminum Alloys Specifically For Additive Manufacturing Have Been Launched On The Market. Airbus Has Developed The World's First High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Powder Material Scalmalloy For Additive Manufacturing In Response To The Demand For Additive Manufacturing Of Aluminum Alloy Parts For Aviation. It Has A Room Temperature Tensile Strength Of 520MPa Has Been Used In The Additive Manufacturing Of Cabin Structural Parts Of A320 Aircraft. The High-Strength 7A77.60L Aluminum Alloy For 3D Printing Developed By Hughes Research Laboratories (HRL) In The United States Has A Strength Of More Than 600Mpa, Becoming The First Forging Equivalent High-Strength Aluminum Alloy That Can Be Used For Additive Manufacturing. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Has Begun To Apply This Material To The Production Of Large-Scale Aerospace Parts. 3D Printing Technology Reference Has Also Reported That The New High-Strength Aluminum Alloy For 3D Printing Designed Developed By CRRC Industrial Research Institute In China Has Broken Through The Restrictions Of Airbus, With A Stable Tensile Strength Of More Than 560MPa, Which Is Significantly Better Than The Printing Performance Of Airbus's Scalmalloy® Aluminum Alloy Powder, Can Meet The Needs Of 3D Printing Of High-End Manufacturing Parts Such As Domestic Rail Transportation Equipment Aerospace, The Domestic Aerospace Sector Has Also Begun The Application Of High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Additive Manufacturing. The Shenzhen Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd. Team Was Established In 2010 Is Located On The 1st Floor Of Building F3, Tianyou Maker Industrial Park, Lixinhu, Fuyong, Bao'an District, Shenzhen. It Has Long Been Committed To The Processing Of High-Precision, High-Difficulty, Easy-To-Deform Metal Plastic Parts, Small Medium-Batch Production Of Lightweight Alloy Composite Materials (Such As Aluminum Alloy, Carbon Fiber, Etc.) Parts, Procurement Customization Of Robot Parts.

Modern Aerospace Components Need To Meet A Series Of Stringent Requirements Such As Lightweight, High Performance, High Reliability, Low Cost, The Structure Of The Components Is More Complex More Difficult To Design Manufacture. By Innovating Developing Key Technologies For Shape Control Controllability Of Laser Additive Manufacturing Of Typical Aluminum, Titanium, Nickel-Based Components In Aerospace, It Only Reflects The Development Direction Of Lightweight High Performance In Material Selection, But Also Highlights The Development Trend Of Precision  Net Forming Of Additive Manufacturing Technology Itself, Which Can Realize The Integrated Additive Manufacturing Of Materials, Structure, Performance, As Well As The Major Engineering Applications Of Additive Manufacturing Technology In Aerospace.