Aluminium in Aerospace Event

The key technological drivers of the aerospace industry are the reduction of environmental impact whilst improving safety and performance. Generally, this has been achieved through continuous, generational improvement across conventional aerospace platforms through developments in design, material technology and manufacturing processes. However, the predicted high run-rates of the next generation of conventional single aisle aircraft, nascent hybrid-electric aircraft and the emergence of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concept for future travel all present significant new challenges. Aluminium alloys remain a core material fundamental to the industry, and their future development utilisation and optimisation is central to meeting these challenges.

Improved engagement between the UK aerospace industry and its manufacturing base, facilitated by UK Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) and academic research institutions, is key to enabling and accelerating the exploitation and evolution of aluminium alloys. There is also significant scope to expedite this evolution through cross-sectoral knowledge transfer using materials development and process optimisation, with the automotive industry manufacturing processes and technology becoming increasingly relevant in the context of increased aerospace production rates.

The free Aluminium in Aerospace event (with support from AlFED, IOM3 and the ATI) offers the opportunity to:

• understand the requirements of the next generation of conventional, hybrid-electric and E-VTOL/UAM aerospace platforms
• gain insight into the UK strategic roadmap for UK based manufacturing capability to support these diverse platform requirements
• understand the current and future capability of aluminium shape-casting to support existing and future cross platform challenges
• understand the latest developments in aluminium alloy solidification research and technology
• explore how industrial and academic institutions can collaborate and innovate to support UK aerospace developments

Objectives of the day:

• raise awareness of fundamental research and its industrialisation capabilities and to encourage aerospace end-user and supplier engagement
• raise awareness of the UK aerospace technology strategy and future aerospace platform requirements
• enable alignment of academic research direction with the requirements of aerospace end-user and manufacturing base
• highlight existing materials and manufacturing solutions to current and future aerospace challenges with a particular focus on shape-casting

Speakers include representatives from:

• the Future LiME Hub
• the Aerospace Technology Institute / HVM Catapult
• aerospace OEMs
• aerospace Prime and Tier1/2 suppliers
• UK manufacturing base
• UK Light alloy R&D institutions

About the organiser:

The Future LiME Hub is a national centre in liquid metal engineering primarily funded by the EPSRC and based at Brunel University London in collaboration with the universities of Oxford, Leeds, Manchester and Imperial College London. The Hub aims to lay down a solid foundation for full metal circulation by conducting research in physical metallurgy, solidification science and processing technology. This workshop has been organised as part of a series of workshops promoted by the Aluminium Federation.