Introduction to AA7160: A New Family of High Strength, High Toughness, and Corrosion Resistant Plate

Today’s newest aircraft are designed for high performance, high efficiency, and a lower maintenance burden. New materials have been developed and adopted to deliver on these targets, including composites and Constellium’s low density Airware® solutions. Although the use and applications of these advancements is increasing, a significant amount of aircraft structures are still comprised of legacy aluminum products, with a vast majority being machined and fabricated from 7050 T7451 plate.

AA7160 is a new 7xxx plate product in the 1-6in thickness range developed by Constellium, designed for direct replacement of legacy 7050 T7451 in different structural locations and replacement scenarios. 7160 has been developed in three tempers – a high strength T7651, a high toughness T7451, and a very high toughness and corrosion resistant T7351. The higher performance of 7160 enables lower part weight through optimized cross-sections and part design, and longer component life through improved corrosion resistance.

An overview of 7160 and the standardization status of these three tempers will be presented, along with data comparisons demonstrating the enhanced performance and advantages of 7160 compared to legacy 7050 T7451.