High Strength Corrosion Resistant Aluminum-Scandium Alloys for Interceptors

Surface Treatment Technologies, Inc. (ST2) proposes an innovative approach to building interceptor structures. This approach combines a new class of aluminum scandium alloys capable of permitting significant weight reductions due to their high specificstrength with a net shape extrusion process. These aluminum-scandium alloys are currently used to fabricate high performance sporting good products such as ball bats. When alloyed with aluminum, scandium is an extremely potent alloying element, with theability to refine grain size, inhibit recrystallization, increase fatigue resistance, provide strengthening at ambient and elevated temperatures and provide grain refinement and strengthening in weldments. In the proposed program, we will fabricate andtest integrally stiffened aluminum scandium extruded panels. The panels will be fabricated using an extrusion process used in the Soviet Union to fabricate aerospace components. This process can be used to produce stiffened panels as large as 8 feet wideand 40 feet long. The Phase I effort will fabricate and test mechanical properties in aluminum-scandium panels. In Phase II prototype interceptor structures will be fabricated using extruded aluminum scandium panels. Fabricating interceptor structureswith extruded integrally stiffed aluminum-scandium panels will decrease structure cost and minimize structure weight.