Alloys in Aerospace
For more than 30 years, Brush Wellman has designed, invented and commercialized alloys that have advanced the aerospace industry. Brush Wellman’s aerospace alloys, including Alloy 25, M25, BrushBronze® 95510, and the increasingly popular ToughMet® are now widely used on all models and vintages of aircraft, enabling optimization of aircraft design, increased reliability and improved performance.
End Uses in Aerospace
Plain Bushing and Spherical Bearings for:
- Airframe attachment of engines, pylons, landing gears and wings
- Compression fit airframe fasteners
- Actuators and guides on wing leading and trailing edges, horizontal stabilizers, tail fins, and thrust reversers
- Landing gears and brakes
- Door and hatch hinges, internal components and actuators
- Various hydraulic and auxiliary power system components
- Various components in altimeters, cabin air, and other devices
- Connectors in electrical and electronic systems
- Components in radar and other avionic systems
Why Brush Wellman Alloys?
Brush Wellman’s ToughMet®, Alloy 25, M25 and BrushBronze® 95510 are used today in aerospace applications because they provide the best margin of safety for the aircraft and economic value for the aircraft operator.
Copper Beryllium
Brush Wellman’s patented Omega-process hot worked Alloy 25 AT rod(AMS 4533) and tube(AMS 4535), and cold worked Alloy 25HT rod(AMS 4534):
- provide the highest tensile and fatigue strength available in a non-galling bearing and bushing material
- provide the highest specific strength (strength-to-density ratio), allowing components to be fabricated not only to smaller dimensions but to the absolute lowest intrinsic weight as well
- have the finest and most uniform grain size available in any bearing or bushing material across the complete range of section sizes required by modern aircraft
- provide outstanding wear resistance when properly lubricated
- provide corrosion resistance
- exhibit stable properties over the wide range of temperatures, cryogenic (see Design Center ) to elevated, encountered during flight and ground operations
Brush Wellman’s screw machinable cold drawn Alloy M25H(C17300) rod and wire:
- provides the highest strength and conductivity of any copper-based machinable rod or wire
- can be machined to fine dimension and detail while in the H, or cold drawn condition, then subsequently age hardened using a simple aging process to produce superior hardness and strength. This is unlike other competitive materials that get their strength from cold drawing only.
- provides excellent thermal and mechanical stability under diverse operating conditions
ToughMet® 3?
ToughMet®3AT(AMS 4596), Brush Wellman’s aerospace alloy, was recently certified for use by the SAE/AMS materials committee as well as the leading builders of commercial and military aircraft.
ToughMet® 3AT:
- satisfies the existing gap in tensile, fatigue and specific strength between copper beryllium and all other bearing and bushing alloys in the hot worked condition
- operates at 50% lower friction and up to 10 times longer life without galling when mated with other metals
- will operate safely for an extended period of time in the event of lubrication failure, providing added security for critical mechanical systems
- delivers superior performance and non-galling durability when lubricated, operating in contact with HVOF coated steels and titanium alloys
- can be coated with proprietary surface treatments to create bearings and bushings that do not require lubrication, enabling performance under heavy loads up to 50 times longer than conventional aerospace bearing materials with little or no resulting wear
- exhibits stable properties over the wide range of temperatures, cryogenic (see Design Center) to elevated, encountered during flight and ground operations
Whenever the superior strength of Omega copper beryllium is not required, ToughMet® 3AT is the new choice in design and offers the best overall combination of attributes required for all but the highest stress environments.
BrushBronze® 95510?
BrushBronze® 95510(AMS 4880) is a widely-used nickel aluminum bronze alloy manufactured using Brush Wellman’s patented EquaCast® continuous casting process.
BrushBronze® 95510:
- exhibits a finer and more uniform grain size, and a greater tensile, yield and fatigue strength compared to other nickel aluminum bronzes
- meets the properties of the hot worked version of this alloy system (C63000, AMS 4640), and in many applications may be substituted for it
- is very economical to use when properly lubricated for low-stress environments and offers moderate specific strength
- is available in long lengths of tubing offering considerable cost advantages compared to AMS 4640 solid rod
Benefits of Using Brush Alloys in Aerospace Applications
Brush Wellman aerospace alloys:
- reduce the weight of the aircraft
- increase the available cargo weight
- improve the fuel efficiency of the aircraft
- provide extended service life between required maintenance
- allow “one-stop-shopping” by offering multiple alloys at various performance levels to accommodate all material needs in the maintenance supply chain
- provide maximum confidence in the reliable and safe performance of critical aircraft systems during taxi, take-off, flight and landing
To the consumer this means:
- The airplane is safer
- The airplane performs better
- The airplane is simpler and less costly to operate and maintain
- The airplane is less likely to be delayed on the ground due to an unexpected mechanical problem
Today’s modern military and civil aircraft are safer and more cost-efficient. Why? Because every aircraft in the world now uses Brush Wellman’s aerospace alloys. In fact, Brush Wellman has received ISO certification and approvals as a material source from all of the major aircraft manufacturers.
There are no equal substitutes for Brush Wellman’s aerospace alloys!
Components made from Brush materials are economical to acquire because of the ease with which they may be obtained and fabricated. Brush alloys are readily available worldwide from both company-owned service centers and independent distributor partners.
Technology, products, service, and value are all available worldwide from Brush Wellman Inc. and its distributors. Contact us for more information!