Breakthroughs in Ultimate Performance and Technological Innovations of Aerospace Aluminum Materials

The stringent requirements for material strength and weight in the aviation industry have spurred the development of 7075-T6 super-hard aluminum. This alloy boasts a tensile strength of 570MPa, which is 2.1 times that of 45 steel, and is widely used in the wing skins of the Boeing 787. To address the stress corrosion issue of high-strength aluminum, researchers have developed a two-stage aging treatment process: the first stage involves 120℃×24h to promote the precipitation of GP zones, while the second stage involves 160℃×8h to strengthen the η' phase, reducing the intergranular corrosion rate to 0.01mm/year. Furthermore, 3D printing technology has broken through the limitations of traditional forging. GE Aviation has adopted the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process to manufacture fuel nozzles for the LEAP engine, enabling the integrated formation of complex flow channel structures, reducing weight by 25%, and increasing lifespan by three times.