Aerospace Materials Market: Delivering Lightweight Metals and Alloys

The aerospace industry continuously seeks ways to improve aircraft performance and reduce weight. The material used in an aircraft has a significant influence on its safety and efficiency. With growing global air traffic and rising space exploration, the need for high-performance materials has been on the rise.

In this blog post, we explain to you the essentials of aerospace materials and the commonly used types. The key metrics for the aerospace materials market and the major factors driving it forward have also been covered. Let’s dive in!

Aerospace Materials: Introduction

Aerospace materials have evolved significantly over the years. Early airplanes featured simple, wooden structures. These structures carried glued-together parts and had a covering of cotton fabric. The construction of these designs needed simple tools. However, they lacked durability, and frequent maintenance was needed. Advancements in construction materials resulted in the development of much more durable designs.

Aerospace Materials Market Outlook

We’ve done an in-depth assessment of the rapidly evolving aerospace materials market. Our analysis reveals that the market is projected to account for a CAGR of 5.1% between 2025 and 2034. It is expected to reach USD 32.79 billion by 2034.

Rising urbanization and a growing middle-class population have created an increased demand for air travel. This has prompted airlines to build their fleets and is driving demand for aerospace materials. The expansion of defense modernization initiatives across major economies is further contributing to the market expansion.

Types of Aerospace Materials

The selection of materials for aerospace applications needs several factors to be taken into account. Today, aerospace manufacturers often use composites and aluminum alloys. Sometimes, titanium alloys may be used to improve strength and temperature tolerance. However, titanium alloys are at least five times more expensive as compared to aluminum.

Each material has unique properties. The choice of the material is based on the specific aircraft requirements and its applications. Below, we’ve explained to you the various materials options available:

Wood and Fabric: The use of wood and fabric was high in early aircraft. This was due to their affordability and ease of use. However, wood and fabric aren’t highly durable. This makes them unsuitable for use in modern aircraft.

Stressed-Skin Aluminum: The use of aluminum alloys has been common in the construction of aircraft since the early 20th century. The introduction of aluminum alloys was a major improvement over wood and fabric. These alloys offer improved strength and are highly durable.

Stressed-Skin Titanium: Titanium alloys are used in the airframe of high-speed flight vehicles. This is because the alloys offer a balanced choice between weight, strength, and resistance to heat.

Modern Composites: Composite materials are widely used in the development of modern aircraft. These materials are lightweight and highly resistant to fatigue. They are also durable and can resist corrosion. These materials offer excellent crashworthiness, especially when they are combined with Kevlar.

Modern aircraft may have half or more of their structures made of various types of advanced composite materials. The use of composites can go to 90% in some new airframe designs. However, the materials are costly and the production processes may be complex. The investment needed for tooling in the manufacturing of aerospace composite parts can be significant. As such, manufacturers of airframes typically outsource production of parts to aircraft manufacturing market companies that specialize in their design and production.

Strength of Materials

The strength of aerospace materials is established by the measurement of standard specimens. Several methods are used for the same. The test method used is based on the characteristics of the material:

Tensile Strength: These tests measure the capacity of a material to withstand stress while being pulled or stretched before it breaks. These tests involve placing a material sample in a machine. The machine produces an axial tension. It measures the strain in the material before it breaks down. This is then used for measuring the stress and strain at which failure occurs.

Compressive Strength: Compressive strength is used for measuring the material strength while it’s being squeezed or pushed. Here, an inward force is applied to the sample until it breaks.

Shear Strength: Shear strength tests measure the ability of a material to resist distortion or deformation when forces act on it in opposite directions along parallel planes. In other words, it shows how strong the material is against sliding or twisting forces.

Flexural Strength: The measurement of flexural strength is done by the application of a bending moment to a sample until it breaks.

Impact Strength: This measures the ability of a material to resist sudden impact. It also measures the brittleness of the material. It involves the use of a notched sample that’s subjected to a pendulum or falling weight. Here, the energy needed to fracture the material is measured.

How AI is Impacting the Aerospace Materials Market?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a profound impact on the market for aerospace materials. The capability of AI to analyze vast datasets of existing materials in the composites market helps reduce the time needed to identify new alloys and composites. The use of AI in 3D printing allows for part optimization and predicting the best printing parameters. AI can analyze sensor data from aircraft components in real-time. This helps in predicting potential failures before they take place.

Conclusion

Aerospace materials form the foundation of every innovation in flight technology. The evolution of these materials reflects how far the aerospace sector has come. Manufacturers in the aerospace materials market focus on investments in additive manufacturing and advanced fabrication technologies to improve the quality of materials and enhance production efficiency.