Metal Science and Heat Treatment, Vol. 55, Nos. 3 4, July, 2013 (Russian Original Nos.

. 3 4, March April, 2013)

ALUMINUM ALLOYS
UDC 669.715

MODERN Al Li ALLOYS AND PROSPECTS OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT

V. I. Elagin1 and V. V. Zakharov1
Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 4, pp. 17 23, April, 2013.

Development of aluminum alloys with lithium additives is analyzed since the 1960s until present. A detailed
description of alloys of the Al Mg Li and Al Cu Li systems is presented, their advantages, disadvantages and prospects of application are analyzed.

Key words: aluminum alloys, alloying with lithium, adaptability to manufacture, operating properties, application.

Addition of lithium, which is a low-melting point alkali

metal and has virtually no elasticity, raises substantially the
modulus of elasticity of aluminum alloys. This anomalous
action of lithium on the modulus of elasticity of aluminum
alloys seems to be a result of the special nature of the solid
solution of lithium in aluminum; it is probable that in addition to the metallic interatomic bonding the solid solution
possesses stronger bonds like ionic or covalent ones. Such an
explanation follows from the unusually low electrical and
thermal conductivities of Al Li alloys as compared to other
aluminum alloys (for example, the electrical conductivity of
alloy 1420 after quenching is 8 9 MS/m, while for alloy
D16 the figure is 16 MS/m).
Researches aimed at advancing and applying Al Li alloys in Russia and in other countries, first of all in the USA,
France and Great Britain, have been performed from the
middle of the last century until today.
Lithium as a component for alloying aluminum alloys
has been chosen by analogy with the earlier known alloying
elements, namely, Mg, Cu, Zn and Si. Just like Mg, Cu, Zn
and Si it has a considerable solubility in solid aluminum,
which decreases upon decrease in the temperature, and this
causes segregation of an intermetallic AlLi phase from the
solid solution and determines the possibility of hardening of
lithium-containing alloys by heat treatment.
Lithium-bearing aluminum alloys are hardened by
quenching and subsequent aging, in which an Al3Li phase (a
d-phase) is segregated from the supersaturated solid solution
and serves an intermediate phase in total decomposition of
the solid solution according to the scheme a d(Al3Li)

INTRODUCTION
Important, especially for the aviation, developments of
novel high-strength structural aluminum alloys based on
the Al Zn Mg Cu system and of alloys of several lithium-alloyed systems frequently referred to as Al Li alloys due to the role of lithium in them have appeared in the
middle of the last century (the 1940 50s).
Alloys of the Al Zn Mg Cu system (V95, V95pch,
V95och, V96Ts3, in Russia and 7075, 7375, 7475, 7050,
7051, and 7055 in the USA and Europe) and duralumin D16
have become the main structural materials in aircraft making.
Al Li alloys, which have advantages over other structural aluminum alloys (low density, high modulus of elasticity and the related rigidity of structures at a high strength),
are applied much less due to some of their special features,
i.e., a high chemical activity of the melt, which requires an
effective protecting environment in the melting furnace, a
low adaptability to cold pressure treatment, instability of the
mechanical properties of semiproducts in long-term operational heating, a high cost due to the expensiveness of lithium, a complex production process, and a low yield.
The considerable increase in the modulus of elasticity
due to alloying of aluminum alloys with lithium is an exception from the general rule of influence of alloying elements
on the modulus of elasticity of alloys. The general tendency
is growth in the modulus of elasticity when that of the alloying element exceeds the modulus of elasticity of the matrix.
1

All-Russia Institute for Light Alloys (VILS JSC), Moscow, Russia (e-mail: zakharov valery@mail.ru).

184
0026-0673/13/0304-0184 2013 Springer Science + Business Media New York

Modern Al Li Alloys and Prospects of Their Development

d(AlLi). The degree of hardening of the alloy as a result of
segregation of this phase in aging depends on the content of
the other alloying components (Mg, Cu, Zn, etc.), individual
or joint. In fact, all the Al Li alloys are based on the alloying systems traditional for aluminum alloys, i.e., Al Mg,
Al Cu, Al Cu Mg, Al Zn Mg with additional lithium additives. Therefore, the hardening due to Mg, Cu,
Cu + Mg, Zn and Mg is summed with the hardening due to
Li. In other words, the hardening of Al Li alloys is a result
of complex interaction between Al and Li, Mg, Cu, Zn and
other components.
In 1999 we analyzed patents for aluminum alloys with
lithium additives and other certifying documents (Authors
Certificates of the USSR and Russia) for alloys of the
Al Mg Li system (10), of the Al Cu Li and Al Cu
Mg Li systems (41) (these patents could not be separated
because some content of magnesium is commonly admissible in patents for the Al Cu Li and Al Cu Mg Li alloys), and of the Al Zn Mg Li system (5). Bearing in
mind that this does not exhaust all patents for Al Li alloys
we may state, however, that the proportion of patents for
Al Li alloys of different systems characterizes the practical
significance of alloys of each system. The most universal and
demanded (in the aircraft industry) is the Al Cu Mg Li
system (41 patent). A very important but less universal group
is composed of alloys of the Al Mg Li system (10 patents). Alloys of the Al Zn Mg Li system attract the
lowest interest (5 patents). The Al Mg Li and Al Cu
Mg Li systems have been used to develop a great number
of alloys produced at a commercial level. Alloys of the
Al Zn Mg Li system are virtually not applied. We will
consider in what follows alloys of the Al Mg Li and
Al Cu Mg Li systems.
ALLOYS OF THE Al Mg Li SYSTEM
The first Al Li alloy applied commercially belongs to
the Al Mg Li system. This is alloy 1420 developed in the
1960s at the All-Russia Institute for Aircraft Materials
(VIAM) under the guidance of I. N. Fridlyander. Its rated
composition is Al 5.5% Mg 2.1% Li 0.12% Zr. The
presence of lithium strengthens the alloy under heat treatment (the hardening phase in aging is d (Al3Li), which is responsible for its higher strength as compared to Al Mg alloys. The effect of precipitation hardening of particles of the
d-phase raises considerably the recrystallization temperature
and thus keeps the structure of semiproducts after heat treatment nonrecrystallized, i.e., promotes additional structural
hardening. Alloy 1420 also contains a low additive of zirconium (0.12%) that modifies the structure of ingots and causes
formation of fine particles of phase Al3Zr that segregate in
the alloy in the course of high-temperature decomposition of
the solid solution of zirconium in aluminum (primarily due
to solution annealing). The additive of zirconium improves
the adaptability of the alloy to casting and hot deformation

185

and raises additionally its recrystallization temperature. Alloy 1420 manifests vividly the mentioned advantage of
Al Li alloys over other aluminum alloys, i.e., a minimum
density (up to 2.47 g/cm3, because the density of Mg is
1.7 g/cm3 and that of Li is 0.53 g/cm3 ) and a high modulus
of elasticity (E = 7600 MPa) at a strength close to that of the
aircraft alloy D16.
In addition, alloy 1420 has a satisfactory corrosion resistance and good weldability inherited from alloys of the base
Al Mg system. However, the difficulties of fabrication and
treatment of alloy 1420 connected with the high chemical activity of the melt and poor hot and cold deformability are
maximum even as compared to other Al Li alloys, especially in the production of sheets. Alloy 1420 has been used
in aircraft making since the 1960s and is still applied but primarily in the form of hot-deformed semiproducts (stampings,
plates). In the production of sheets cold stamping is performed after quenching of strip plates from a high temperature (430C). In an annealed condition the alloy has a very
low ductility due to (1) a very high volume fraction of an
intermetallic Al2MgLi phase and (2) a high content of magnesium in the solid solution. Thus, the intermediate treatment
for raising the ductility in cold rolling is quenching rather
than annealing, because of the use of low-rate pack rolling,
while cold coiled rolling has not been converted yet.
Despite the process difficulties alloy 1420 has become a
world pioneer Al Li alloy produced at a commercial scale.
In the early 1970s 1420 was used for making YaK36 and
YaK38 deck vertical takeoff aircrafts and fuel tanks of
MIG-29M battle planes [1]. The KUMZ plant produces a
wide range of ingots (round ones up to 530 mm in diameter
and flat ones with cross section of up to 250 1300 mm)
with the help of protection of melt in vacuum furnaces and
efficient fluxes and makes sheets, shapes and stampings from
such ingots [2, 3].
After the development and installation of alloy 1420
Russian specialists have worked on its advancement by determining the optimum and total contents of magnesium and
lithium and choosing an optimum combination of other additives.
Works [1, 4, 5] performed at the VIAM resulted in creation and investigation of new alloys of grades 1421 and
1423; alloy 1424 was designed at the VIAM in cooperation
with the VILS (the All-Russia Institute for Light Alloys) on
contract with the Daimler-Benz Company [6]. Table 1 presents the composition of these alloys and, for comparison,
the composition of alloy 1420. It can be seen that the main
distinctive feature of these alloys is the addition of scandium.
According to the data of [7] lithium and scandium do not affect the solubility of each other in an aluminum solution and
therefore the hardening due to decomposition of the solid solution of scandium in aluminum with segregation of phase
Al3Sc is similar to the hardening by the main lithium-bearing
d-phase (Al3Li). The Al3(Sc, Zr) phase complements the
hardening due to the d-phase. Alloy 1424 also contains zinc,

186

V. I. Elagin and V. V. Zakharov

TABLE 1. Chemical Composition of Commercial Alloys Based on the Al Mg Li System

Content of elements, wt.%
Alloy

1420

Mg

Li

Zr

Sc

Zn

Ti

Cu

Fe

Si

Be

4.5 6.0

1.8 2.2

0.08 0.15

0.1

0.05

0.20

0.15

0.0002 0.005

1421

4.5 6.0

1.8 2.2

0.08 0.15 Up to 0.25

1.8 2.2

0.06 0.10

0.05

0.15

3.2 4.2

0.1

0.20

1423

0.15

0.10

1424

4.1 6.0

1.5 1.9

0.07 0.13 0.05 0.10

0.4 0.7

0.4

0.12

0.08

0.003

0.1 0.2

TABLE 2. Properties of Alloys of the Al Mg Li system

Alloy

1420, sheets 1.2 4.0 mm

thick
1421, sheets 4 mm thick
1423, sheets 2.5 4.0 mm
thick
1424, sheets 1.6 mm thick

Direction

sr , MPa

s0.2 , MPa

d, %

440

280

10

T
L

450
450

280
320

13

T
L
T
L
T

460
460
495
510

350
340
400
390

E, GPa

LCF,
kcycles
at smax =
160 MPa

76

105

76

150

7
10
6
15

77
77

120
130
150
200

K cf ,
MPa m1/2

RGFC,
mm/kcycle
Layer
at DK =
corrosion,
31 MPa m1 scale div

Density,
g/cm3

/2

80
(B = 300)

1.9

2.47

2.47

70

2.0
1.0 1.5

2.50

23
23

2.51

95
(B = 400)

Note. B is the width of the specimen, mm.

which raises somewhat the strength and the corrosion resistance and improves the adaptability of the alloy to pressure
treatment. The enhanced purity of the alloy with respect Fe
and Si admixtures also improves the adaptability to manufacture. Typical mechanical properties and corrosion resistance
of cold-rolled sheets from the novel alloys as compared to
1420 after a heat treatment optimum for each of the alloys
are presented in Table 2. The addition of scandium causes
substantial growth in the strength and in the crack resistance
parameters at some decrease in the ductility and satisfactory
corrosion strength typical for alloy 1420. It can be seen from
Table 2 that the combination of properties of 1424 is good
but the anisotropy of mechanical properties is a substantial
disadvantage, especially where the ductility of cold-rolled
sheets is concerned; the sheets have the lowest strength and a
high ductility at an angle of 45 to the direction of rolling.
Thin (cold-rolled) sheets can be produced from alloy 1424
after advancing the process of cold rolling. Pressed shapes
and hot-rolled plates can be fabricated with an admissible
anisotropy of the properties.
ALLOYS OF THE Al Cu Mg Li SYSTEM
Numerous works performed in Russia and other countries have shown by the 1980s that alloys of the Al Cu

Mg Li system were quite suitable for the purposes of aircraft making. In the 1980 90s the leading world metallurgical and aerospace companies (Alcoa, Reynolds, VIAM,
Alcan, Boeing, Martin Marietta etc.) patented many Al
Cu Mg Li alloys of which we have analyzed 41.
All the alloys contain copper, lithium and zirconium.
Many contain magnesium and low additives of components
chosen from transition metals. Some contain additives of silver and zinc. All alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system are
hardened by heat treatment and contain hardening phases
formed as a result of the interaction of Al and Li with Cu and
Mg in addition to the main hardening d-phase. The most important of the additional phases are T1 (Al2CuLi), q (Al2Cu)
and S (Al2CuMg). The hardening phases raise the strength
of the Al Cu Mg Li alloys with respect to those of the
Al Mg Li system.
Inventors use different approaches to patenting the composition of alloys. In some cases they patent a wide range of
concentrations for each component (for example, Alcoa
No. 4832910: 0 0.5% for Cu, 0.5 5.0% for Li, 0 5.0%
for Mg, 0 7.0% for Zn, 0 1.0% for Zr); in other cases a
narrow range of concentrations corresponds to an actual alloy (for example, Boeing No. 5133930: 2.3 2.7% for Cu,
2.0 2.4% for Li, 0.3 0.9% for Mg, 0.08 0.15% for Zr).

Modern Al Li Alloys and Prospects of Their Development

187

TABLE 3. Compositions of Main Commercial Al Cu Mg Li Alloys Developed in the Early 1980s

Content of elements, wt.%
Alloy

8090
1440
2090
1450

Cu

Mg

Li

Zr

Mn

Zn

Ti

Fe

Si

1.0 1.6
1.2 1.9
2.4 3.0
2.7 3.2

0.6 1.3
0.6 0.11
0.25
0.10

2.2 2.7
2.1 2.6
1.9 2.6
1.8 2.3

0.04 0.16
0.10 0.20
0.08 0.15
0.08 0.16

0.10
0.05
0.05
0.10

0.25
0.10
0.10
0.25

0.10
Be 0.06 0.2
0.15

0.30
0.15
0.12
0.15

0.20
0.10
0.10
0.10

All the patented alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system

can be divided into three groups, namely,
(1) alloys with a low copper content (< 2.0%), a high
lithium content (2.2 2.8%), and a relatively high content of
magnesium (0.5 1.5%); these alloys have a medium density (sr = 430 500 MPa) at a high fracture toughness and
a low adaptability to manufacture, especially to cold deformation;
(2) alloys with a medium content of copper (2.0 3.5%)
and lithium (1.5 2.2%) and a low additive of magnesium
(0.5%); these alloys have a high strength (sr = 480
600 MPa) at a satisfactory fracture toughness and satisfactory adaptability to manufacture;
(3) alloys with a high content of copper (3.5 6.0%), a
low content of lithium (about 1.3%) and a low additive of
magnesium (about 0.4%); these alloys, especially if they
bear an additive of Ag, have a very high strength (sr up to
700 720 MPa) at a reduced ductility and a high density.
The short characteristics given to each group may be
supplemented by mentioning that the density of the alloy depends primarily on the content of copper and lithium; for the
alloys of the first group it is the lowest, whereas for the alloys of the third group it is the highest. The resistance of the
alloys to corrosion worsens upon growth in the copper content but can be improved by choosing an optimum mode of
heat treatment.
Alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system are inferior to
those of the Al Mg Li system with respect to the density,
but have found wider application in the last decades because
they possess a higher strength and better adaptability to metallurgical production.
In the early 1980s the English alloy 8090 (the Russian
counterpart is 1440) of the first group and the American alloy 2090 (the Russian counterpart is 1450) were assumed to
be the most promising alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system (Table 3).
Alloy 1440 (8090) with a low copper content (less than
2%) and the highest content of lithium (up to 2.7%) and a
medium content of magnesium (about 1%) has the lowest
density (2.56 g/cm3 ) and the highest modulus of elasticity
(80 GPa) at a medium strength and an enhanced crack resistance. However its adaptability to pressure treatment has
turned out to be low. Production of sheets from this alloy by
the method of coiled rolling has remained an unsolved task.

In Russia works on advancing 1440 were performed primarily at the VIAM and at the VILS and yielded novel alloys
with a reduced content of lithium (1441) or with a reduced
content of lithium and a somewhat elevated content of magnesium (1430).
These new alloys have turned out be better adaptable to
the metallurgical production [8 14]. Pilot batches of sheets
have been produced from alloys 1441 and 1430 by the
method of coiled rolling, but their processibility was considerably lower than that of the alloys of type 1450 (2090),
where the content of magnesium does not exceed 0.5%. It
has been shown in [13] that the ductility of the Al Cu
Mg Li alloys with enhanced content of magnesium decreases markedly upon cold deformation (the ductility was
evaluated in [13] in terms of the critical coefficient of cold
deformation by flat upsetting).
Comparative tests of alloys of type 1440 (about 1.0% Mg)
and of more manufacture-adaptable alloys of type 1450 (2090)
(with at most 0.5% Mg) have shown that a longer service life
can be obtained for deformed semiproducts from 1450-type
alloys at specific modes of heat treatment.
In the early 1990s VILS and VIAM specialists performed a study aimed at creation of a high-strength alloy of
the Al Cu Mg Li system with good weldability within a
contract with the Daimler-Benz Company.
The experimental work, which was reduced in fact to advancing the properties of alloy 1450, resulted in the development of a new grade 1464. The composition of alloy 1464 is
compared to that of alloy 1450 in Table 4.
It can be seen from Table 4 that the low additive of magnesium stipulated by the standard does not worsen and, by
the data of [15], even improves the deformability of the alloy; manganese and scandium are introduced primarily in order to improve the weldability. A study of pilot batches of
semiproducts (rolled and pressed) has shown that a two-stage
heat treatment (of type T2) provides a good combination of
properties (static strength, life parameters, corrosion resistance). At a level of static strength close to that of alloy
V95ochT2 the life parameters and the corrosion strength of
the alloy are higher than those of V95ochT2 (Table 5). In addition, alloy 1464 differs from other alloys of the Al Cu
Mg Li system by a satisfactory weldability; the strength of
argon-welded joints of sheets about 2 mm thick without second heat treatment is at least 0.7 of the strength of the matrix
material.

188

V. I. Elagin and V. V. Zakharov

TABLE 4. Compositions of Main Commercial Al Cu Mg Li Alloys Developed in the Early 1980s

Content of elements, wt.%
Alloy

1450
1464

Cu

Mg

Li

2.7 - 3.2
2.95
2.8 - 3.2
3.0

0.1

18
. - 2.3
2.09
16
. - 19
.
185
.

0.4 - 0.7
0.5

Zr

0.08 - 016
.
0.1
012
.
0.08 - 012
.
0.2 - 0.4
01
.
0.3

Later on VIAM specialists designed V-1461 [17, 18]

(Al 2.8% Cu 1.7% Li 0.5% Zn 0.09% Zr 0.06% Sc)
with properties close to those of 1464.
Analysis of alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system registered by the International Aluminum Association (Table 6)
since 1984 shows no development of alloys with a high content of Mg (from 0.6 to 1.9%, types 8090 and 2191) registered in 1984; they seem to have found no significant industrial application.
Alloy 2090 (a counterpart of 1450) of the second group
has been advanced in a complex manner, namely,
(1) optimum concentrations of the main alloying components (Cu, Mg and Li) have been amended; (2) the effect of
silver additives (Ag) has been studied and, judging by the
composition of the later alloys, the expediency of the use of
silver has not been confirmed; (3) a low additive of Mn
(0.10 0.50% has been introduced just as it had been done
earlier for alloy 1464; (4) Zn has been introduced in an
amount of 0.4 1.0%; and (5) the purity of the alloy with re-

TABLE 5. Typical Properties of Semiproducts from Alloys 1464T2

and V95ochT2
V95och-T2,
sheets

1464-T2,
sheets

1464-T2,
shapes

sr (L), MPa

537

552

s0.2 (L), MPa

450

450

Properties

d (L), %

10

10

sr (T), MPa

530

500

500

s0.2 (T), MPa

450

424

400

d (T), %
E (L), GPa
Density, g/cm3

12

13

11

7200
2.82
70

8000
2.65
70

8000
2.65

95

> 200

> 200

6.0
34
175

2.1
12
> 300

12

K cf (L-T), MPa m1/2

CF, kcycle, at
smax = 160 MPa
RGFC, mm/kcycle,
at DK = 30 MPa m1/2
LC, scale div.
CC, days, at s = 300 MPa

Mn

Note. The direction of cutting of the specimens is given in parentheses, i.e., L) longitudinal, T) transverse.

Sc

Ti

Fe

Si

0.05

0.15

0.1

0.05 - 0.2
013
.

0.15

0.1

spect to iron and silicon (Fe 0.07%, Si 0.05%) has been

improved markedly, which seems to be a very important
factor.
As a result of all these changes the Alcoa Company has
developed alloy 2099 and a close grade 2199. Alloy 2099
in the form of hot-deformed semiproducts (plates, pressed
shapes) heat treated in special modes T8E77 and T83 possesses strength characteristics not inferior to those of the
high-strength alloys of the Al Zn Mg Cu system (type
7075) at a density of 2.63 g/cm3; the characteristics of its
crack resistance and corrosion resistance are even superior.
Plates and pressed shapes from alloys 2099 and 2199 are
used in passenger aircrafts and even for parts of the lower
wing panel [16].
The strongest alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system
with a high content of copper and a low content of lithium
(the third group) for welded structures have been developed
in the following directions. Firstly, the very high content of
copper in the first alloys of this group (6% in VAD23) has
been reduced to 2.9 3.5% (American 2198) in the last decades, which has resulted inevitably in some decrease in the
strength. Secondly, the introduced silver additive (0.2 0.7%)
has compensated partially the loss in the strength due to the
decrease in the copper content (probably due to formation of
an W-phase). Thirdly, an additive of scandium (alloy V-1469,
VIAM) has been introduced for improving the weldability.
Analyzing Table 6 we will see that the dynamics of the
development of foreign alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system of the third group leads to gradual matching between the
alloys of the second and third groups with respect to the content of the main components, which is responsible for improvement of the set of operating characteristics of alloys of
the third group at some decrease in the strength parameters.
CONCLUSIONS
Alloys of the Al Mg Li system possess a medium
strength but the best combination of low density with high
modulus of elasticity. A representative of this system, alloy
1420 developed in Russia (VIAM) has become the first commercially applied Al Li alloy. However, the alloys of this
system have the worst processibility, which is responsible for
the high cost of articles fabricated from them and for the absence of their use in the West. Alloys of the Al Mg Li

Modern Al Li Alloys and Prospects of Their Development

189

TABLE 6. Al Li Alloys Registered by the International Aluminum Association

Content of elements, wt.%

Year of registration

Cu

8090
2091
8093

1984
1984
1990

1.0 1.6
1.8 2.5
1.0 1.6

2090
2097
2197
2297
2196
2397
2099
2199

1984
1993
1993
1997
2000
2002
2003
2005

2.4 3.0
2.5 3.1
2.5 3.1
2.5 3.1
2.5 3.3
2.5 3.1
2.4 3.0
2.3 2.9

2094
2095
2195
2098
2050
2198
V-1469

1990
1990
1992
2000
2004
2005

4.4 5.2
3.9 4.6
3.7 4.3
3.2 3.8
3.2 3.9
2.9 3.5
3.2 4.5

Alloy

Mg

Li

Mn

Zn

Zr

Ag

Group 1: low content of Cu, high content of Mg and Li

0.6 1.3
2.2 2.7
0.10
0.25
0.04 0.16

1.1 1.9
1.7 2.3
0.10
0.25
0.04 0.16

0.9 1.6
1.9 2.6
0.10
0.25
0.04 0.14

Group 2: medium content of Cu and Li, low content of Mg

0.25
1.9 2.6
0.05
0.10
0.08 0.15

0.35
1.2 1.8 0.10 0.6
0.35
0.08 0.16

0.25
1.3 1.7 0.10 0.5
0.05
0.08 0.15

0.25
1.1 1.7 0.10 0.50
0.05
0.08 0.15

0.25 0.8 1.4 2.1

0.35
0.35
0.04 0.18 0.25 0.6
0.25
1.1 1.7 0.10 0.50
0.35
0.04 0.18

0.10 0.50 1.6 2.0 0.10 0.50 0.40 1.0 0.05 0.012

0.05 0.40 1.4 1.8 0.10 0.50 0.2 0.9 0.05 0.12

Group 3: high content of Cu, low content of Mg and Li + Ag

0.25 0.8 0.7 1.4
0.25
0.25
0.04 0.18 0.25 0.6
0.25 0.8 0.7 1.5
0.25
0.25
0.04 0.18 0.25 0.6
0.25 0.8 0.8 1.2
0.25
0.25
0.04 0.18 0.25 0.6
0.25 0.8 0.8 1.3
0.35
0.35
0.04 0.18 0.25 0.6
0.20 0.6 0.7 1.3 0.20 0.50
0.25
0.06 0.14 0.20 0.7
0.25 0.8 0.8 1.1
0.50
0.35
0.04 0.18 0.10 0.50
0.1 0.5 1.0 1.5 0.03 0.5
0.25
0.04 0.18 0.15 0.6

system (1420 and improved variants 1423 and 1424) can be

expected to find a limited use for articles that require a combination of minimum mass with high enough strength, high
corrosion resistance and good weldability.
Alloys of the Al Cu Mg Li system have a higher
density than those of the Al Mg Li system, a better ductility and a higher strength. The experience of service of
these alloys in Russia and in other countries shows that alloys with a medium content of copper, a low content of magnesium and a medium content of lithium (the second group:
1450, 1451 in Russia and 2090 abroad), which have initially
(in the 1980s) been treated as the most adaptable to manufacture and the strongest in the Al Cu Mg Li system but
not enough crack and corrosion resistant, have been updated
(1464, 2099, V-1461) in subsequent studies (additional low
additives of new components, novel modes of heat and
thermomechanical treatment) and possess a high strength
and high crack and corrosion resistances.
In this connection, alloys of the first group of the
Al Cu Mg Li system with a low copper content, a relatively high content of magnesium and a high content of lithium (1440, 1441, 1430 in Russia and 8090, 2091 abroad),
which possess a high crack resistance at a medium strength
and a low processibility, cannot compete with the alloys of
the second group.
The recent advancement of alloys of the second group
represented by 1464 and V-1461 in Russia and 2099 and

Ti

Fe

Si

0.10
0.10
0.10

0.30
0.30
0.10

0.20
0.20
0.10

0.15
0.15
0.12
0.12
0.10
0.12
0.10
0.10

0.12
0.15
0.10
0.10
0.15
0.10
0.07
0.07

0.10
0.12
0.10
0.10
0.12
0.10
0.05
0.05

0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10

0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.10
0.10
0.15

0.12
0.12
0.12
0.12
0.08
0.08
0.12

2199 in the USA meet the requirements of aircraft producers

with respect to static strength and crack and corrosion
resistances and possess the best adaptability to metallurgical
production as compared to other alloys of the Al Cu
Mg Li system. These alloys are not inferior to commercial
alloys of the Al Zn Mg Cu system (V95, V95pch,
7075, 7375, 7475, 7050, 7051) with respect to static strength
and are superior to the latter with respect to the life characteristics and the corrosion resistance at a higher modulus of
elasticity and a reduced density. In this connection we should
note that alloy 2099 is widely used in the USA in the form of
hot-deformed semiproducts (plates, stampings, pressed
shapes) [16], the process of production of which does not differ in principle from the process of production of other aluminum alloys. The production of sheets remains a problem
due to the nonuniformity of strain in cold rolling (formation
of shear bands) and hence the high anisotropy of mechanical
properties of the sheets. Development of an optimum process
for making sheets requires additional studies.
The combination of the operating and process characteristics of high-strength weldable alloys of the Al Cu
Mg Li system (the third group with a high copper content
and a low content of magnesium and lithium) has been improved in the recent years by lowering the copper content
and introducing additives of silver, manganese and scandium
and elevation of the purity of the alloys with respect to the
iron and silicon admixtures.

190

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