ANOTHER APPROACH to USING SUSTAINABLE ALLOYS WITHOUT INCREASING PART WEIGHT

Reducing weight in aerospace applications is an ongoing priority, which has resulted in the development of new alloys.  Developing these alloys takes a significant amount of resources and time.  Subsequent manufacturing of these alloys can be difficult and may require special equipment and processes.

In a number of applications, the strength/weight criteria of alloys like titanium can be obtained with more common alloys by manipulating the mechanical properties and dimensions of the material used to make the component.  An example would be replacing titanium with stainless steel in the manufacture of honeycomb.  These changes can result in reduced manufacturing costs, increased number of suppliers who can manufacture the product, and greater material availability.  There are also ancillary benefits to changing materials related to safety and environmental issues.  However after a part has been designed, the challenge of making material changes, improvements or innovations requires improved interaction between the designer, fabricator, and materials supplier.