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The United States has developed a super-strong aluminum alloy material.


Release time:

2018-07-17

Researchers at Purdue University in the United States have developed a super-strong aluminum alloy material with great potential for industrial applications. Most lightweight aluminum alloys are soft and have low mechanical strength, which has limited their widespread industrial use. However, this high-strength, lightweight aluminum alloy boasts a strength comparable to that of stainless steel.

The United States has developed a super-strong aluminum alloy material.
  Researchers at Purdue University in the United States have developed a super-strong aluminum alloy material with great potential for industrial applications. Most lightweight aluminum alloys are soft and have low mechanical strength, which has limited their widespread industrial use. However, this high-strength, lightweight aluminum alloy boasts a strength comparable to that of stainless steel.
    
The research findings were published in the latest issue of the journal Advanced Materials and in Nature Communications in November 2017. The paper focuses on how to modify the microstructure of aluminum materials to achieve both high strength and ductility. This high-strength aluminum alloy is produced by introducing “stacking faults”—distortions in the crystal structure. A metallic crystal lattice consists of a series of repeating atomic layers; if one layer is missing, it results in a stacking fault. A “twin boundary” is composed of two such stacking faults.
 
A stacking fault known as the 9R phase holds exceptionally special significance. Using a specialized method, researchers simultaneously introduced the 9R phase and twin boundaries into aluminum, thereby enhancing both strength and ductility while improving thermal stability. The industrial application of this material will bring revolutionary changes to the automotive and aerospace industries.