Surpasses VT6 Titanium Alloy in Strength: New Alloy for Enhanced Aircraft Reliability Created at BelSU

A new heat-resistant alloy for aircraft construction has been created at Belgorod State National Research University (BelSU). It retains its strength at a temperature of 800 °C and surpasses analogues in plasticity. A patent has already been obtained for the development. This was reported in the press service of the university.

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Existing alloys often do not provide the necessary level of mechanical and functional properties. Researchers noted that one of the promising areas for solving this problem is high-entropy alloys, which consist of five or more elements, unlike traditional analogues.

Such multi-component systems demonstrate high combinations of strength and plasticity. Complex alloys based on refractory elements are of particular interest. They are able to maintain high strength characteristics over a wide temperature range.

Maxim Ozerov, researcher at the Laboratory of Bulk Nanostructured Materials of the Research Institute of Materials Science and Innovative Technologies of BelSU

The new high-entropy alloy is developed on the basis of six elements — aluminum, titanium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium, and niobium. To obtain a homogeneous structure, the alloy was subjected to repeated remelting in a vacuum. The test results confirmed that the material retains high strength values both at room temperature and under conditions of strong heating.

Traditional refractory alloys based on molybdenum, tungsten, and tantalum demonstrate high strength, but their plasticity does not exceed two percent, and excessive density limits their application. The material we created is much lighter and at the same time retains good mechanical properties over a wide temperature range.

Maxim Ozerov, researcher at the Laboratory of Bulk Nanostructured Materials of the Research Institute of Materials Science and Innovative Technologies of BelSU

At room temperature, the alloy demonstrates a tensile strength of 1456 megapascals and a plasticity of 14.7%. When heated to 800 °C, it retains a strength of 1192 megapascals and is able to deform by more than 50% without breaking. For comparison, the VT6 aircraft alloy based on titanium shows strength values at a temperature of 800 °C in the range of 600-800 megapascals.

According to BelSU scientists, their development may allow the creation of competitive parts for aircraft engines and spacecraft.

Earlier, www1.ru reported that a refractory alloy for the aviation industry was created in Russia.