Russian physicists have developed an innovative method for controlling the density of alloys used in the aerospace industry. This was reported by the press service of the Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ITAM SB RAS).
Al-Cu-Li system alloys (aluminum-copper-lithium) are modern high-strength, low-density materials in demand in the aerospace sector. They make it possible to move from the traditional riveting technology for fuselage and aircraft wing parts to more modern welded joints. However, one of the main problems remains the low strength level of weld seams compared to the base material.
For the first time in the world, we found temperatures for Al-Cu-Li system alloys at which strengthening phases either dissolve or form both in the weld seam and in the alloy itself. In the future, we will be able to control the mechanical properties of the alloy by changing the temperature.
The specialists placed samples of the aluminum alloy weld seam into a furnace and heated them using synchrotron radiation. At the same time, the phase composition of the material was checked every 5-10°C. This made it possible to study structural changes in real time and improve the properties of the alloys.