AA2219 Alclad Sheets and Plates for Missile Applications

The Aluminium alloy AA2219 is extensively used for a wide variety of strategic applications because of a combination of good weldability and high stress corrosion cracking resistance. However, owing to the high copper content, the general corrosion resistance of the alloy is relatively inferior, and therefore, the alloy sheets are always used in the Alclad form.

Chemical Composition of AA2219 Alloy (wt %)

  Major Alloying Elements (Balance Al)                                                                           Impurities

Technology Developed at DMRL

The technology involving optimization of parameters like alloy composition, homogenization schedule, hot and cold rolling parameters and method of imparting cold work prior to artificial aging for the production of AA2219 Alclad sheets and plates has been developed at DMRL. Optimization of the process parameters enabled the production of Alclad AA2219 sheets and plates having thicknesses ranging from 2 mm to 30 mm having reproducible tensile properties and reduced in‐plane strength anisotropy.

This technology has been developed and demonstrated at the industrial scale. It has been assessed in terms of structural tests wherein 4 mm thick Alclad AA2219 sheets were formed and joined to form a structural part of a major load bearing section of a missile.

The products made using this innovative technology have achieved the entire range of properties for the specific applications. In order to realize reduced in‐plane anisotropy in the strength properties of Alclad plates, the hot rolled Alclad plates are solution treated and subjected to a novel procedure of cold working between solution treatment and artificial aging

Tensile Properties of Indigenized Alclad AA2219 Sheets & Plates