MATERIALS IN AIRCRAFT

CONSTRUCTION
BY: KANU PRIYA JHANJI & R.AMIT KUMAR
ASST. PROFESSOR
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES
HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY
CHENNAI

HINDUSTAN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

Hindustan College of Engineering,

established in the year 1985, has been
conferred the "University Status" by UGC,
Government of India Under Section 3 of
UGC Act 1956 with the name
"HINDUSTAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
& SCIENCE" from the academic year 2008
- 09. The Vision of HITS is "TO MAKE
EVERY MAN A SUCCESS AND NO MAN A
FAILURE".

SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL
SCIENCES
STRENGTHS & UNIQUENESS
Acquired Hawker Beech jet 400
Chetak Helicopter procured for teaching
purposes and demonstration
Center for Unmanned Vehicle Systems
Multitude of fixed and rotary wing aircrafts
Variety of aircraft engines
Flight simulator
Piston engine test rig facility
Flight training for students

SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL
SCIENCES

School of Aeronautical Sciences has

diversified range of faculties in various
domains of Aeronautical and Aerospace
Engineering.
It has good strength of students who are
highly enthusiastic and participate in
various technical competitions

SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES

Awards and Achievements

INTRODUCTION

Earlier, Mild Steel was the metal which was

widely used in aircraft construction.
It was used for fittings, fuselages, brace struts
for landing gears and wings, and wherever else a
piece of metal was required.
With the development and complexity in the
aircraft construction various steel with
specialized properties were developed and
utilized.
In order to select the proper steel for a particular
purpose, designer must be aware of its
properties.
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES
HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

STEEL AND ITS ALLOYS

If carbon is added to iron, in percentages

ranging up to approximately 1 percent, the
product is vastly superior to iron alone and is
classified as carbon steel.
Carbon steel forms the base of those alloy
steels produced by combining carbon steel
with other elements known to improve the
properties of steel.

NOTE: A base metal (such as iron) to which small quantities of other metals
have been added is called an alloy. The addition of other metals changes or
improves the chemical or physical properties of the base metal for a
particular use.

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HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

CARBON STEELS

Carbon steelsare iron-carbon alloys

containing up to 2.06% of carbon, up to
1.65% of manganese, up to 0.5% of
silicon and sulfur and phosphorus as
impurities.
Carboncontent in carbon steel
determines itsstrengthandductility.
The higher carbon content, the higher
steel strength and the lower its ductility.
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES
HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

TYPES OF CARBON STEELS

According to thesteels
classificationthere are following groups
of carbon steels:
Low carbon steels (C < 0.25%)
Medium carbon steels (C =0.25% to
0.55%)
High carbon steels (C > 0.55%)

Tool carbon steels (C>0.8%)

SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES

HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

LOW CARBON STEELS

MEDIUM CARBON STEELS

Low carbon steels (C

< 0.25%)
Properties: good
formability
andweldability, low
strength, low cost.
Applications: deep
drawing parts, chain,
pipe, wire, nails,
some machine parts.

Medium carbon steels

(C =0.25% to 0.55%)
Properties:
goodtoughnessand
ductility, relatively
good strength, may be
hardened by quenching
Applications: rolls,
axles, screws,
cylinders, crankshafts,
heat treated machine
parts.

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HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

HIGH CARBON STEELS

TOOL CARBON STEELS

High carbon steels (C

> 0.55%)
Properties: high
strength,hardnessa
nd wear resistance,
moderate ductility.
Applications:rolling
mills, rope wire,
screw drivers,
hammers, wrenches,
band saws.

Tool carbon steels

(C>0.8%) subgroup of
high carbon steels
Properties: very high
strength, hardness and
wear resistance, poor
weldability low ductility.
Applications: punches,
shear blades, springs,
milling cutters, knives,
razors.

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HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, PADUR

DESIGNATION SYSTEM OF CARBON STEELS

American Iron and Steel Institute

(AISI) together with Society of

A letter prefix before the
Automotive Engineers (SAE) have
four-digit number indicates
established four-digit (with
thesteel makingtechnology:
additional letter prefixes)

A - Alloy, basic open hearth

designation system:

B - Carbon, acid Bessemer

SAE 1XXX

First digit1 indicates carbon

C - Carbon, basic open
steel (2-9 are used for alloy
hearth
steels);

D - Carbon, acid open hearth

Second digitindicates

E - Electric furnace
modification of the steel.

0 - Plain carbon, non-modified

Example: AISI B1020 means
1 Re-sulfurized
non modified carbon steel,
2 Re-sulfurized and reproduced in acid Bessemer
phosphorized
and containing 0.20% of
5 - Non-re-sulfurized, Mn over
carbon.
1.0%
Last two digitsindicate carbon
concentration
in 0.01%.
SCHOOL
OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES
Example: SAE
1030
means
non
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PADUR

PROPERTIES OF SOME CARBON

STEELS

S.A.E. 1015

: A galvanized (zinccoated) steel wire is made from this

material. It is used as a locking wire on
nuts and turn-buckles and for serving
nonflexible cable splices. This wire has a
maximum tensile strength of 75000 p.s.i.
and a minimum elongation of 8 to 10%

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S.A.E. 1025:

This steel is commonly referred to

as mild carbon steel or cold- rolled stock.
For aircraft purposes the sheet is always purchased cold
rolled to accurate dimensions. Bar stock is either cold
rolled or cold drawn.
It is used for aircraft nuts and similar standard parts,
however, and also for nonstructural clamps requiring a lot
of bending.
In all its forms this steel has an ultimate tensile strength
of 55000 p.s.i. , a yield strength of 36000 p.s.i. , and an
elongation of 22%.
When used for aircraft nuts, it is heat treated and
develops a minimum strength of 70,000 p.s.i.
In sheet form this material can be bent through 180
degree without cracking over a diameter equal to the
thickness of the test section
This material machines well and can be welded or brazed.
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICAL SCIENCES
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NICKEL STEELS

The various nickel steels are produced

by combining nickel with carbon steel.
Steels containing from 3 to 3.75 percent
nickel are commonly used.
Nickel increases the hardness, tensile
strength, and elastic limit of steel without
appreciably decreasing the ductility. It
also intensifies the hardening effect of
heat treatment.
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S.A.E. 2330: This is the standard nickel steel and possesses

good strength and great toughness.
it can be purchased in the bar stock in the forged, rolled,
annealed, normalized and annealed, or heat treated condition or
it is heat treated after fabrication.
It is used extensively for aircraft parts, such as bolts, terminals,
keys, clevises, and pins.
When heat treated to 125,000 p.s.i. and 150,000 p.s.i.
respectively, it has the following properties:
Ultimate tensile
strength (p.s.i.)
Yield strength (p.s.i.)

125,000

150,000

100,000

120,000

Elongation (%)

17

15

Aircraft bolts are heat treated to 125,000 p.s.i. ultimate

strength.
This steel can be bent flat over a diameter equal to its
thickness.
It also has good machining properties.
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NICKEL-CHROMIUM STEEL

Chromium steel is high in hardness, strength, and corrosion

resistant properties, and is particularly adaptable for heattreated forgings which require greater toughness and strength
than may be obtained in plain carbon steel. It can be used for
such articles as the balls and rollers of antifriction bearings.
Chrome-nickel or stainless steels are the corrosion resistant
metals. The anticorrosive degree of this steel is determined by
the surface condition of the metal as well as by the composition,
temperature, and concentration of the corrosive agent.
The principal alloy of stainless steel is chromium. The corrosion
resistant steel most often used in aircraft construction is known
as 18-8 steel because of its content of 18 percent chromium and
8 percent nickel.
One of the distinctive features of 18-8 steel is that its strength
may be increased by cold working.
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Stainless steel may be rolled, drawn,

bent, or formed to any shape.
Because these steels expand about 50
percent more than mild steel and conduct
heat only about 40 percent as rapidly,
they are more difficult to weld.
Stainless steel can be used for almost any
part of an aircraft. Some of its common
applications are in the fabrication of
exhaust collectors, stacks and manifolds,
structural and machined parts, springs,
castings, tie rods, and control cables.
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S.A.E 3115:

This is
a carburizing steel with
an exceedingly hard,
wear resisting surface
and a tough core.
Generally it is used in
engine construction for
gear pins, piston pins,
push rod ends and
rollers.
It has core strength of
85,000 p.s.i.
This steel machines well

S.A.E. 3312:
This is a
carburizing steel
with a strong,
tough core.
It is used for rear
axles, transmission
gears for heavy
duty trucks.
Its core strength is
100,000 p.s.i.

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THE CHROME-VANADIUM STEELS

The chrome-vanadium steels are

made of approximately 18 percent
vanadium and about 1 percent chromium.
When heat treated, they have strength,
toughness, and resistance to wear and
fatigue.
A special grade of this steel in sheet form
can be cold formed into intricate shapes.
It can be folded and flattened without
signs of breaking or failure.
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S.A.E. 6150 :

This steel has high strength and fatigue

properties. It is used for all important coil springs in aircraft
and engine valve springs and is available in rod form from
0.180 to 0.500 inch in diameter.
It is purchased in the annealed condition and heat treated
after forming.
In bar form this steel is used for propeller cones which
require good fatigue and machining properties.
Rod for helical springs can be heat treated to develop the
following properties: ultimate tensile strength 220,000 p.s.i. ;
yield strength 200,000 p.s.i. ; elongation 6%.
Bar stock is normally heat treated to develop an ultimate
tensile strength of 180,000 p.s.i. , yield strength 170,000
p.s.i. ; elongation 14%.

S.A.E. 6195:

this is high-carbon chrome-vanadium

steel which is used for parts subject to high-bearing loads
and requiring maximum hardness. Ball bearings, roller
bearings SCHOOL
are made
OF AERONAUTICAL
from it.
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MOLYBDENUM STEEL

Molybdenum in small percentages is used in combination

with chromium to form chrome-molybdenum steel, which
has various uses in aircraft.
Molybdenum is a strong alloying element. It raises the
ultimate strength of steel without affecting ductility or
workability.
Molybdenum steels are tough and wear resistant, and they
harden throughout when heat treated. They are especially
adaptable for welding and, for this reason, are used
principally for welded structural parts and assemblies.
This type steel has practically replaced carbon steel in the
fabrication of fuselage tubing, engine mounts, landing
gears, and other structural parts.
For example, a heat-treated SAE X4130 tube is
approximately four times as strong as an SAE 1025 tube of
the same weight and size.

Heat Treatment Terms

The following are the heat treatment terms which

will be frequently used in the theory of materials:
Critical Range
Annealing
Normalizing
Heat Treatment
Hardening
Quenching
Tempering
Carburizing
Case Hardening
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Critical Range

Critical Range, applied to steel refers to

the range of temperature between 1300
F and 1600 F.
When steel passes through this range, its
internal structure is altered.

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Annealing

It is the process of heating steel above

the critical range, holding it at that
temperature until it is uniformly heated
and the grain is refined and then cooling
it very slowly
Other materials do not possess critical
ranges, but all are annealed by similar
heating process which permits rearrangement of internal structure,
followed by cooling
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Normalizing

It is similar to annealing but the steel is

allowed to cool in still air .
It is a method that is somewhat faster
than annealing cooling. Normalizing
applies only to steel
It relieves, softens the metal somewhat
less than annealing and at the same time
increases the strength of the steel about
20% above that of annealed metal.

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Heat Treatment

It consists of series of operations which

have as their aim the improvement of the
physical properties of a material
In the case of steel these operations are
hardening which includes heating and
quenching

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Hardening

Hardening of steel is done by heating the

metal to a temperature above the critical
range and then quenching it.
Aluminum alloys are hardened by heating
to a temperature about 900 F and
quenching.

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Quenching

Quenching is the immersion of the

heated metal in a liquid, usually either oil
or water, to accelerate its cooling.

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Tempering

It is the reheating of hardened steel to a

temperature below the critical range
followed by cooling as desired.
Tempering is sometimes refered to as
drawing.

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Carburizing

It is the addition of carbon to steel by

heating it at a high temperature while in
contact with a carbonaceous material in
either solid , liquid or gaseous form.

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Case Hardening

It consists of carburizing, followed by

suitable heat treatment to harden the
metal.

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