HARDENABILITY OF ALUMINUM-LITHIUM ALLOYS

With the development of aircraft engineering the number of aluminum-li thium alloys is growing substantially. However, in determining the dom ain of their application data on the stability of the solid solution a nd the hardenability should be taken into account. A frequent mistake is the use of an alloy with low stability of the solid solution for pr eparing thick-walled semifinished products, for example, complexly sha ped large forgings. In this case ''dark spots'' appearing on the surfa ce of massive elements and zones of incomplete hardening in the centra l part worsen the characteristics of static and cyclic crack resistanc e. The article is devoted to problems of hardenability of aluminum-lit hium alloys.