2.1.5 Main Takeaways on Aerospace Material Types

Course subject(s) Module 2. Materials and Manufacturing Methods

There are four typical material groups that have aerospace applications:

  • Metals, typically mined as ore and then melted to create semi-finished products which can be worked into finished products. Key aerospace metals are aluminum, titanium and high-temperature steel.
  • Polymers, although not used as a primary material, it is often used as matrix materialĀ for composites. There are three main groups of polymers: thermoplastics, thermosets, and elastomers.
  • Ceramics, brittle materials that are very hard, have good heat resistant properties, and are used as protection against heat. They are often used as cutting tools and protective equipment.
  • Composites, can be divided into two types: fiber-reinforced composites, a combination of fibers and a matrix material; and hybrid materials, a combination of the former with a third component, such as metal for instance.
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Introduction to Aerospace Structures and Materials by TU Delft OpenCourseWare is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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