K. V. Rao, R. Ritchie
1992
Citations
3
Influential Citations
125
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
International Materials Reviews
Abstract
Abstract Aluminium-lithium alloys are a class of low density, high strength, high stiffness monolithic metallic materials that have been identified as prime candidates for replacing 2000 and 7000 series aluminium alloys currently used in commercial and military aircraft. In this review, the cyclic fatigue strength and fatigue crack propagation characteristics of aluminium-lithium alloys are reviewed in detail with emphasis on the underlying micromechanisms associated with crack advance and their implications to damage tolerant design and lifetime computations. Compared with traditional aerospace aluminium alloys, results on the fatigue of binary Al-Li, experimental Al-Li-Cu, and near commercial Al-Li-Cu-Zr and Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr systems indicate that alloying with Li degrades the lowcycle fatigue resistance, though high-cycle fatigue behaviour remains comparable. The alloys, however, display superior (long crack) fatigue crack growth properties, resulting from a prominent role of crack tip shielding, principa...