Engineered Metal for Aircrafts – The Importance of Hiring Only Professionals
There are several advantages of engineering metal for aircraft compared to conventional materials like aluminum or steel. It is light, durable, and usually requires little to no maintenance. Some say that the aircraft fuel burns at much higher temperatures than conventional fuels. In such a scenario, engineering metal for aircraft becomes all the more important.
The weight of metallic material for airframes needs to be lightweight. Lightweight aircraft with smaller wing areas need them. This can be achieved by using lighter but strong metallic materials. Since the weight also needs to be efficient, the entire structure has to be light in construction.
Lightweight is another aspect that holds prime importance in the design of an aircraft. So, if the metallic material is weak, it will not be able to meet the demands of the aircraft. Metals that have low melting points like aluminum do not go well with high temperatures.
Even though the metals like magnesium and titanium have been used in fighter aircraft since the inception of flight, they are not popular in civil aircraft due to their high melting point. Titanium is an alternative since it does not melt till nearly 500 degrees Celsius and is very light. However, this material is still quite expensive.
A considerable advantage of engineering metal for aircraft is that it can be used for a variety of purposes. Since the aerospace industry has been expanding for quite some time now, aerospace metals are becoming a must in most industries.
Thus, the availability of metallic materials has given a boost to manufacturing companies. This has led to a significant rise in the demand for welding services. In aviation, a metallic material that is light in weight is a must. Since the aircraft structure cannot be too heavy, the weight of the metallic material that is used should be relatively light.
Lightweight generally refers to those materials that have the properties to float in weight. These materials can be mixed with other materials to create lighter metals that can be used in the airframes of the aircraft. Lightweight metals are generally the ones used since they are easily used in welding operations.
Since there are several metals to be used in aircraft construction, engineers have to be aware of which of these metals are best suited to be used in the construction of the airframe. This is important so that the overall weight of the aircraft will be less than the actual weight of the aircraft.
It is believed that aluminum is the best metal for aircraft since it is lightweight. Many engineers think that aluminum is the best metal since the alloy itself is more ductile. These properties make aluminum a better metal to use in building the airframe.
Some metals are more ductile than others and this can be used to determine which metal is the best. For example, nickel is considered to be a ductile metal and this is also a light metal. Other metals that are ductile are aluminum, tantalum alloys, and titanium.
There are a lot of advantages that engineering metals can provide for engineers. These advantages include saving costs since the amount of money that needs to be invested in buying materials will be lessened. In addition, the amount of money that has to be spent on maintenance and repair of the aircraft will also be lessened.
Finally, using these materials in building the airframe will make the aircraft more stable since it will be made from light materials. To ensure that these aircraft remain strong, it is important for engineers to consider the concept of tensile strength.
This refers to how strong the metal is after undergoing various load forces. Engineers should therefore look for metals that have high levels of tensile strength. The amount of strength that metal provides against any given force depends on the composition of the metal.
For example, if two metals each have 100 times the strength of each other and are put side by side, the result would be very strong metals like steel. It should be noted that metals such as aluminum do not possess high amounts of strength against force. It is for this reason that aluminum is not the best metal for aircraft construction. Reach out to experts from MidAmerica Aerotech for more expert opinion and advice on this.
Engineers should also consider the effect that metal has on the sound. Since the speed of sound travels through dense materials, the thicker the metal used in aircraft structure, the higher the speed of sound will travel. However, it is important for engineers to consider the type of aircraft they plan to construct.
In this case, lighter metals are generally preferred especially when dealing with lightweight airframes.