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1.4 - Aircraft Materials
Material selection has always been a driving force throughout the history of aeronautics. The technology involved with developing new materials has pushed next generation aircraft to be lighter, stronger, and more resistant to nature's elements. From the wood and canvas structures of early aircraft to modern-day titanium alloys and composites, aircraft have come a long way with the help of advances in material.

Currently, the common materials used in aircraft structures are aluminum, titanium, and steel alloys. The advantages and disadvantages of each are listed below:

*Aluminum is relatively light weight, and has good fatigue life. It is not as strong as other materials and cannot stand high temperatures. *Steel Alloys are most used for their high strength. They are heavy and strongly affected by corrosion. *Titanium can withstand very high temperatures, and has good resistance to corrosion. It is, however, difficult to machine which makes its manufacturing cost higher.

Another material being used more frequently is fiber-reinforced composites. These composites are manufactured in a careful manner in order to provide maximum strength without being too brittle. Different types of composites exist, such as glass-fiber and carbon-fiber. The mechanical properties for some of these materials yield great strength to weight ratios, which make them an attractive option for aerospace applications.

Look at how far aircraft structures have come due to material influences in the span of a few decades: *This is a picture of an early Wright Brothers' airplane made of wood and canvas: http://www.edunetconnect.com/TimeMachine/contentimages/flyght1.gif *This is a picture of a modern-day airplane constructed mostly of composite materials: http://franklin-innovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/carbonf.jpg