Materials that must have exceptional strength, toughness, durability, and be resistant to rust and cracking, as well as have high impact resistance and lightweight qualities, are referred to as aeronautical materials. Light, stiff, strong, damage-tolerant, and long-lasting are all necessary for aerospace materials, yet most materials fall short in one or more of these areas.
The quick development of novel aircraft materials is fueled by the aerospace industry’s explosive growth. The primary motivation is to save costs by extending the service life of aircraft parts and structures and reducing their weight. Lightweight aircraft frames and engines built with materials with better mechanical qualities can enhance cargo, boost flight range, and improve fuel efficiency—all of which lower operating costs.
Lightweight alloys’ high specific characteristics, as we discussed earlier, make them desirable for use in the production of high-performance aviation parts. Because composite materials have a higher specificity and greater protection from corrosion and damage than most metals, they are becoming more and more popular in the aircraft sector. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that composite materials, including ceramic matrix composites, can tolerate high operating temperatures of 1400 °C, which can meet the growing need for aircraft speed.
The specific component in question determines the component’s performance criteria for aeronautical materials. The design specifications of each element, such as loading conditions, manufacturability, geometric limitations, environmental considerations, and maintainability, determine the materials to be used in an airplane.
The development of engine materials has been driven by the need to boost thrust and reduce weight for aircraft engines. In order to reduce weight, engine materials must have low densities and acceptable physical properties and mechanical qualities in a corrosive, high-temperature environment. The fan, compressor, and casing are the cold parts of an aircraft turbine engine, while the combustion chamber and turbine are the hot parts. The selection requirements for aviation engine materials vary depending on the temperature of different engine parts. High-specific-strength and corrosion-resistant materials are necessary for cold-section components.
The best materials for this purpose are polymer composites, i.e., Ti-based alloys and Al-based alloys. The hot portions of aviation engines need alloys that possess high temperature resistance, greater strength, hot corrosion resistance, and creep resistance. Because of their exceptional heat-resistance power, Ni-based superalloys are more commonly employed alloys for these kinds of applications.
https://www.nature.com/collections/ideibifdee
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376042117301483
