Aluminum alloys for aircraft structures.

The 2002 ASM international engineering materials achievement award was earned by Alcoa, "For the development and application of new aluminum alloys with properties and strength-to-weight ratios that make possible the design of future aircraft with improved payload and design safety margins." Airframe designers need lightweight materials that are strong, durable, damage-tolerant, and economical to fabricate. Aluminum alloy products have filled this need since the 1920s. Despite the advances in polymer matrix composites, manufacturers of airframes for passenger jetliners ...