With the new material Arconic responds to growing demand for advanced aero engine and airframe materials. For customers, it translates into cost savings and fuel efficiency.
“ARCONIC-THOR is a breakthrough aerospace material that goes where conventional titanium alloys cannot,” says Jeremy Halford, president of Arconic Engineered Structures. “Next generation fuel-efficient aero engines are running hotter, presenting a materials challenge for the exhaust systems and adjacent structures. Drawing on our materials science expertise, our engineers formulated ARCONIC-THOR – a powerful titanium solution that can take the heat and unlock significant weight and cost savings for our customers.”
Within Arconic’s patented alloy ranges, ARCONIC-THOR’s specific proprietary formulation demonstrates three times improved oxidation resistance compared to existing high temperature titanium alloys. This improved oxidation resistance protects against deterioration at elevated temperatures and enables ARCONIC-THOR to operate at service temperatures higher than any other conventional titanium alloy available on the market.
Arconic already has completed successful development projects of ARCONIC-THOR with customers. These include a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory-funded project named “Materials Affordability Initiative” (MAI) with aircraft manufacturer Boeing and aircraft engine manufacturer Honeywell.
Over the course of the project, Arconic produced full-scale components from ARCONIC-THOR sheet. The joint MAI project validated ARCONIC-THOR as a production-ready, superior oxidation resistant titanium alloy at temperatures as much as 200°F above previously available high temperature titanium alloy products with acceptable oxidation resistance. The project further concluded that ARCONIC-THOR significantly reduced weight and improved component performance.
ARCONIC-THOR can be produced as sheet, plate, foil, billet, rolled rings, forgings and extrusions. It is formable (cold, hot, superplastic), heat treatable, forgeable and weldable.
SAE International’s own Aerospace Material Specification Titanium and Refractory Metals Committee recently approved the standard Aerospace Material Specification (AMS) 6953 for ARCONIC-THOR sheet.
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William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include 'literally anything that has to do with space,' past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology. And also sportscars.
Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at william.kucinski@sae.org.
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