Titanium or aluminium alloy for aircraft?

Mayola Sylva: It all depends on the aircraft. Passenger jets would use aluminium alloy and carbon fibres for it's fuselage, wings, and tail, while titanium is used to join the engines to the wings. Some parts of the engines are also made up of titanium. The reason for that is that titanium has higher melting point and also strong and flexible enough to support the parts in turbulence.

Sammy Kar: Most commercial plane's are fabricated from Aluminum alloy 7075 which is aluminum mixed with zinc, it can be commonly used for plane epidermis and Titanium alloy with both Vanadium or Chromium is used to make the plane structure. (Titanium isn't used a lot though due to very high rate in construction) Most Boeing's just like the Boeing 787 and Airbus' just like the Airbus A350 are made of these materials. As for an particular cost in the construction, it's very hard to say as it will depend on the plane. The Airbus A350 development cost was once around £10 million due to be! ing made most commonly out of composite's (stuff like bolstered plastics and metallic composites) nevertheless it did have a high quantity of Aluminium alloys and Titanium alloys used for it's constitution. The Boeing 787 however, hasn't got any released production fee. However it may think it will be roughly aroung £eleven-12 Million, as it has a high Aluminium and Titanium content....Show more

Providencia Serpe: Aircraft use both. Aluminium Alloy for light structures, such as fuselage skins and lighter structures, Titanium where high strength, heat resistance and light weight are required, such as in jet engine parts or mountings.

Ron Keliipio: What Vincent said. There is more titanium alloy used in critical hardware (fasteners) than structural parts.

Leann Villalta: That depends on the specific application. Titanium alloys are a bit heavier, but since they are stronger than aluminium ones, there could be a slight weight saving gain. Titanium is also mo! re heat resistant.The downside is that producing titanium meta! l consumes an equal weight of magnesium, which costs more than aluminium; so in the end, titanium is 20 to 30 times more expensive than aluminium.And since titanium is a very difficult metal to work, machining costs are also much higher.So, titanium would be used when the cheaper alternatives just do not cut it....Show more

Tosha Tawney: Titanium Used In Aircraft