Arconic’s 7XXX Thick Plate Alloy Solutions to Meet Tomorrow’s Aerospace Needs

The unique characteristics of Arconic’s very thick plate (VTP) stretcher, which has the largest pull force and cross-sectional capability in the world, have enabled high-performance plate products in dimensions that were not previously available in the market. Since the commissioning of the VTP stretcher in 2017, production trials have been undertaken to develop optimized fabrication flow paths for a range of 7xxx plate products so they could be supplied in thicker gauges and/or wider widths while meeting OEM property requirements. Arconic’s focus has been to further improve very thick gauge properties up to 11” thick, such as tensile elongations, fracture toughness, smooth axial fatigue, and fatigue crack growth. A detailed set of mechanical and corrosion test results will be presented along with an updated timeline regarding commercialization steps for gauge expansion of AMS 4050 and corresponding MMPDS allowables.