metals Review Alloys for Aeronautic Applications: State of the Art and Perspectives Antonio Gloria 1, Roberto Montanari 2,*, Maria Richetta 2 and Alessandra Varone 2 1 Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, V.le J.F. Kennedy 54-Mostra d’Oltremare Pad. 20, 80125 Naples, Italy;
[email protected] 2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy;
[email protected] (M.R.);
[email protected] (A.V.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +39-06-7259-7182 Received: 16 May 2019; Accepted: 4 June 2019; Published: 6 June 2019 Abstract: In recent years, a great effort has been devoted to developing a new generation of materials for aeronautic applications. The driving force behind this effort is the reduction of costs, by extending the service life of aircraft parts (structural and engine components) and increasing fuel efficiency, load capacity and flight range. The present paper examines the most important classes of metallic materials including Al alloys, Ti alloys, Mg alloys, steels, Ni superalloys and metal matrix composites (MMC), with the scope to provide an overview of recent advancements and to highlight current problems and perspectives related to metals for aeronautics. Keywords: alloys; aeronautic applications; mechanical properties; corrosion resistance 1. Introduction The strong competition in the industrial aeronautic sector pushes towards the production of aircrafts with reduced operating costs, namely, extended service life, better fuel efficiency, increased payload and flight range. From this perspective, the development of new materials and/or materials with improved characteristics is one of the key factors; the principal targets are weight reduction and service life extension of aircraft components and structures [1].