June 10, 2011
US aluminum manufacturer Alcoa said Thursday it has developed a new set of aluminum-based solutions for the aerospace market that will allow airframers to build lighter and lower-cost short-range airplanes at lower production risk than composite-intensive planes.
The new solutions, which combine new alloys and advanced structural technologies, use Alcoa sheet, plate, forgings and hard-alloy extrusion products across aircraft structures, including airplane wings and fuselage elements.
The new technologies: lower the weight of the plane by up to 10% versus composite-intensive planes; lower the cost to manufacture, operate and repair planes by up to 30% versus composite-intensive planes, and at significantly lower production risk; and allow for a 12% increase in fuel efficiency, on top of the 15% from new engines, the company said.
"The decisions made in the past decade to build the first composite-intensive aircraft were a huge wake-up call for us," said Mick Wallis, president of Alcoa North American Rolled Products, who is responsible for Alcoa's aerospace sheet and plate products. "In hindsight it was the right decision for the time -- when advanced aluminum solutions were not as developed -- but our technology solutions have made quantum leaps since those decisions."
The combination of Alcoa solutions results in short range aircraft "that meet or exceed airframer targets for corrosion resistance, aerodynamic drag, maintenance requirements, and fuel efficiency along with improved buy-to-fly ratios," said Alcoa.
Included in the new solutions portfolio are advanced alloys and third-generation aluminum lithium alloys that result in up to 7% lower density in major structural applications along with corrosion resistance.
Alcoa's most-recent aluminum lithium alloys were selected for large commercial aircraft plate applications and are being used on planes about to enter the marketplace. These newest aluminum lithium alloys provide additional enhanced performance.
Washington (Platts)--9Jun2011/404 pm EDT/2004 GMT
--Tina Allagh, tina_allagh@platts.com
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