Research

Astronomy & Space Sciences

Title :

Aluminium-Magnesium-Scandium Alloy and Product Development for Aerospace and Strategic Applications

Area of research :

Astronomy & Space Sciences, Chemical Sciences

Focus area :

Strategic applications in aerospace

Principal Investigator :

Dr M. Ravi, Chief Scientist, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), Kerala

Timeline Start Year :

2020

Timeline End Year :

2022

Contact info :

Details

Executive Summary :

Objective: 1) High strength-high ductility Al-Mg-Sc wrought alloy products (Billets, Plates & Sheets) with the property targets of: YS: 300-310 MPa, UTS: 370-400 MPa, Elongation: above 8%, Hardness: 75-90 Hv. 2) Material property data sheet detailing the mechanical properties, processability, weldability and workability of Al-Mg-Sc Alloy for aerospace applications. 3) Pilot scale Technology on Processing of Al-Mg-Sc alloy ingots and its wrought products like Plates and sheets. 4) Feasibility for the manufacture of components like reduced scale fuselage and Nacelle cowling for CSIR-NAL and aerospace components for LPSC-ISRO will be initiated as the Phase-I activity

Summary: Technology development of high strength-high ductility aluminium alloys for aerospace applications involve the development of Aluminium-MagnesiumScandium alloy through casting route. Optimisation of the composition of the alloy (particularly scandium content) needs to be done in terms of solidification characteristics and microstructural features in the casting ingots (solidified in different moulds using water chilled moving mechanisms at different cooling conditions). Characterisation of the alloy billets for its mechanical characteristics under different loading conditions as well as the forgeability and formability estimation on the plates and sheets need to be done at different conditions. Based on the data generated from these studies, optimum conditions will be arrived for forging of billets and rolling of plates and sheets of different sizes and configurations. The forged billets, rolled plates and sheets will be characterised for the flow patterns, microstructure, mechanical properties as well as weldability and corrosion characteristics. Structure-property correlation under different processing conditions will be established. In consultation with user organisations in the aerospace sector, feasibility for the manufacture of wrought products like reduced scale fuselage and Nacelle cowling for CSIR-NAL and aerospace components for LPSC-ISRO will be studied as the Phase-I activity. High strength-high ductility Al-Mg-Sc wrought alloys and products for Aerospace applications are being aimed to attain the property targets of: YS: 300-310 MPa, UTS: 370-400 MPa, Elongation: above 8%, Hardness.

Organizations involved