J. Moran, R. Rioja, E. L. Colvin, Alcoa Incorporated, Alcoa Center, PA
Over the past decade, the Aging Aircraft Community has invested heavily into research and development for the characterization, prediction, remediation, and prevention of aircraft corrosion. The vast majority of this work has been geared toward military aircraft; hence most of the focus has been on the so-called "legacy alloys", e.g., 2024 and 7075.
Over the past few decades, the alloys used for aircraft construction have evolved considerably from a corrosion perspective. Alloys in the 7x5x family, 7085, and new-generation Al-Li alloys offer improved corrosion resistance relative to the "legacy alloys". This paper will provide a summary of the corrosion improvements offered by these newer-generation alloy systems, and will highlight applications for these newer-generation alloys on newer-generation aircraft structures.
