Die Casting Aluminum and Its Significance in Aerospace Industry

Die Casting Aluminum and Its Significance in Aerospace Industry

Die Casting Aluminum products are of great use in various industry sectors and more so in the aerospace industry where precision and high quality products is of utmost importance. These products are used in building both small as well as the major components in the aviation industry. Further, Aluminum Casting parts are used both in the commercial as well as pivotal military sector (in fighter planes etc). The reason for this is simple - they are cost-effective solutions and offer great results.

Apart from being cost effective, the components made from die casting aluminum are additionally prepared to endure harsh weather conditions and increased damages. Another most important reason for using aluminum products in aircraft is that the metal is comparatively cheaper than other metals that are die casted. Moreover, aluminum has the potential to gel with other metals in order to offer durability and much flexible.

With aluminum casted products, you do not have to compromise on the quality yet can them at much cheaper production cost. In addition, all the standards that have been set for using of metal components, aluminum satisfy the need to the utmost. Hence, they are certified safe for use in planes, cost effective and have all the qualities that are required for flying crafts, so Casting Aluminum is on the rise like never before. In addition, the best thing about an aluminum die cast part is that its weight is favorable for the aircraft operations.

So, how exactly is Casting Aluminum done and what are the processes involved? Well, the answer is simple. Aluminum alloy is first forced into a high-grade steel tool at high speed and pressure in a high temperature. This results in superior quality products that are extremely light and thin walled ideal for use as aircraft components.

It is to be mentioned here that Aluminum Casting is a complex method. Only a really experienced and high skilled team of engineers can ensure that the components come with high volumes or with better tolerances and surface finish. In fact, this type of pressure casting is far more popular than gravity die casting or sand casting. This is because the need for machining in this method whether for aluminum or Zinc Casting is very low due to the close casting tolerances. Though the tooling costs in Casting Aluminum or rather any metal are considerably higher than the other two methods yet, the mechanical properties achieved thus are far better in terms of functionality.

Aluminum Cleaner for Aircraft Detailing by Alcoa

Aluminum Cleaner for Aircraft Detailing by Alcoa

There are many choices for aircraft detailing when it comes to aviation uses. One product we like after tying them all out was a product by Alcoa Corporation. The product is distributed by CLB Enterprises at Alcoa Corporation for aluminum polish in all aspects of detailing. We used this on some museum pieces and noticed the ease of use as we polished out an all aluminum T-33 the trainer version of the F-80 Korean War Vintage "Shooting Star." It took approximately 22 man-hours with Alcoa's Aluminum Polish to complete this project. We bid the job at 40-hours because generally that is what it would take with other brands.

My company, the Aircraft Wash Guys, has plenty of experience with aluminum polishing and bright work. http://www.aircraftwashguys.com . And who better to trust than the producers of over 1/3 of all the aluminum mined and recycled in the world. Alcoa has with stood the test of time. Alcoa has also been instrumental in the legislation to require citizens to recycle aluminum that is necessary for so many of the needed products we take for granted everyday. Whether it is a beer can, aluminum rail car, Boeing 747 or Apollo Space Craft, you can bet it is made with Alcoa products.

We have tested these products and samples have been sent to all Detail Guys Franchisees. All our teams agree that this is a top notched product indeed. We use this product after testing it on Aircraft and aluminum trim on vehicles, trucks and boats. There is no easy way to clean aluminum and to make it shine; ask any Harley Davidson Motorcycle enthusiast, aircraft owner, yacht owner or show truck owner. There is no easy way. Yet one of the best products we have ever found is Alcoa's Aluminum Polishes. Not only is the product awesome, it is politically correct.

Many might argue that Mother's Polish is the best for motorcycles and we have to agree Mother's is an excellent product, but when using large amounts to do large surfaces, there is a certain profit motivation with our team. Mother's Polishes of course are great also. We thank Alcoa for licensing it's polish from it's state of the art, high tech Research and Development Group, to worthy distributors such as CLB Enterprises so it is available to our team and aviation enthusiasts at a low and fair price. It is this level of commitment to the market place that keeps our team in the winner's circle and Alcoa at the top of their game. And it surely saves the arms of an aircraft owner who needs to polish out their aircraft, because God knows there is no easy way. Aluminum is a perfect alloy for so many of mankind's most prized possessions and innovations; from the wheels on your hot rod to parts and components of the World's highest performance jet aircraft and it has been for decades. Choose the right aluminum polish and save your muscles and time for flying. Think on this.

Aircraft and Aerospace Aluminum Alloys

Aircraft and Aerospace Aluminum Alloys

Pure aluminum and pure magnesium are completely unsuitable as structural materials for airframes, because they have very low strength. However, when alloyed (chemically mixed) with each other or with other metals, their strength is vastly improved, and they form the most widely used group of airframe materials. Alloying metals include zinc, copper, manganese, silicon and lithium, and may be used singly or in combination.

There are very many different variations, each having different properties and so suited to different uses. Magnesium alloys are very prone to attack by sea water, and their use in carrier-based aircraft is generally avoided. Aluminum alloys, although denser than magnesium alloys, are much less prone to chemical attack, and are cheaper, so are more widely used. 2024 alloy, known as duralumin, consists of 93.5 percent aluminum, 4.4 percent copper, 1.5 percent manganese and 0.6 per cent magnesium, and is the most widely used of all materials in aircraft structures. Aluminum alloys are more prone to corrosion than pure aluminum, so pure aluminum is often rolled onto the surfaces of its alloys to form a protective layer. The process is known as cladding, and sheets of alloy treated like this are known as clad sheets or Al-clad. Another common means of protecting aluminum alloys is anodising - conversion of the surface layer to a form which is more corrosion-resistant by an electro-chemical process. Aluminum-lithium alloys are superior to aluminum-zinc and aluminum-copper alloys in strength and stiffness, so can be used to save weight. Their use is limited because they are around three times as expensive.

An interesting property which certain aluminum alloys share with titanium is that they can be super-plastically formed (SPF). When the material is heated to a certain temperature, far below its melting point, it is capable of being stretched by several times its own length without tearing or local thinning. It can then be deformed, using an inert gas such as argon, to fill a mould and take its shape exactly, with no spring-back when the pressure is released. There are various techniques based on this property, which can be used to make extremely complicated shapes accurately and with minimum weight. The high initial cost of tooling means SPF is limited to certain high-cost items, and it is not yet suited to mass production. Items such as pressure vessels, small tanks and reservoirs may be made using this technique.

Advantages of aluminum and magnesium alloys

1. High strength-to-weight ratios
2. A wide range of different alloys, to suit a range of different uses
3. Low density, so greater bulk for same weight means they can be used in a greater thickness than denser materials, and thus are less prone to local buckling; this applies to magnesium alloys even more than aluminum alloys
4. Available in many standard forms - sheet, plate, tube, bar, extrusions
5. Aluminum alloys are easy to work after simple heat treatment
6. Can be super-plastically formed (certain aluminum alloys only)

Disadvantages

1. Prone to corrosion, so need protective finishes, particularly magnesium alloys
2. Many alloys have limited strength, especially at elevated temperatures
3. Magnesium alloys have low strength (but high strength-to-weight ratio)
4. No fatigue limit (see section on fatigue later in this chapter)