This article describes Shear-Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE), an emerging extrusion technology being developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. One application of the ShAPE process is recycling post-consumer scrap without adding primary aluminum, which reduces embodied energy and carbon output. Scientists at PNNL won an R&D 100 Award in 2020 for their work in developing the ShAPE process.

During the 20th century, the use of aluminum alloys helped the Allied Powers win World War II and made modern global air travel possible. Continuous improvements in engine technology, alloys, and manufacturing methods enabled the development of practical and efficient aircraft with varying passenger capacity and range capability. Conventional wrought aluminum alloys make up 70-80% of the weight of single-aisle airliners. Aluminum sheet, plate, forgings, extrusions, and castings all continue to be utilized in modern aircraft construction. This article explores a brief history of the special alloys, tempers, and product forms required to meet the unique challenges of flight.

This article reports on development of a versatile new technique that fills the need for grain etching in multiple aluminum alloy series. The procedure is a two-step etch that combines an attack etchant with a stain etchant to reveal grain structure of 2000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 series aluminum alloys. This entry won the prestigious DuBose-Crouse Award for unique, unusual, and new techniques in microscopy at the 2022 International Metallographic Contest.

Beyond weight savings, aluminum products offer corrosion resistance, weldability, and ease of maintenance for a wide range of marine vessels. Aluminum was recognized as a promising material for marine construction from the early days of the industry. The development of 5xxx alloys and large production capacity made aluminum use more technically and economically possible beginning in the 1950s. The variety of aluminum vessels ranges from small fishing boats and fast ferry catamarans to cruise ships and military vessels. All benefit from aluminum's relatively light weight, low maintenance costs, and easy repairability. Other benefits of using aluminum in marine applications include formability, corrosion resistance, and availability in various product forms.

This article describes new software that helps predict properties of high-entropy alloy compositions under high-temperature conditions. The tool was developed by extensive testing on the quinary Al-Co-Cr-Fe-Ni alloy system with both first-principles density functional theory calculations and machine learning to establish a substantial database for modeling.

This article reports on the development of additive friction stir deposition techniques that use secondary feedstocks such as machine chips and damaged components to make in-field repairs at the point of need. The focus of the initial research was aluminum alloys. Preliminary studies show significant promise for the adaptation of these techniques to hard alloys including steel castings, wrought high strength steels, and titanium alloys.

This unique testing method offers economic benefits, sustainability advantages, and the potential to slash the time required to develop new alloys and processing recipes.

The conclusion of this article series reviews the lasting impact of Ford’s extensive use of aluminum on some of its most popular, high-volume vehicles. It addresses future prospects for aluminum auto body sheet (ABS) production and challenges associated with electric vehicle development.

A microscope using differential interference contrast inspects grains and inclusions on heat treated aluminum parts to help predict the performance of the metal.

Modeling and simulation are used to solve the problem of folded grooves, a common occurrence during aluminum wheel forging.

Ford’s aluminum F-150 venture was now entering the development phase, with teams in place that would spend the next 18 months designing both the truck and the facilities to produce it.

Case studies from a range of industries illustrate how advanced additive manufacturing capabilities optimize both material performance and value. The materials discussed are Inconel 718, Ti-6Al-4V, aluminum F357, and Hastelloy X.

Ford begins to reassess its capacity to develop and launch an aluminum-intensive platform on its own. This article discusses the planning for the aluminum-bodied F-150 in the context of the difficult economic conditions that Ford and the rest of the industry were operating under during the 2008-2010 period.

As demand for adherence to VDA standards increases, aluminum testing equipment keeps pace. The VDA, or Verband der Automobilindustrie, is the German association of the automotive industry. Typically, the VDA requirements are adaptations to existing ISO standards with more stringent requirements that aim to reduce variability between labs.

Industry consolidation, lubricant concerns, and springback issues continued to test automakers and materials producers as they worked toward aluminum-intensive vehicles in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Automakers and aluminum producers make headway in lightweight vehicle development in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Launching an aluminum vehicle into production is a far greater challenge than building a fleet of prototypes. This installment in the series reviews progress made in the 1990s.

The largest and heaviest component in a car is the body structure, so it was only natural to make this the focus of advanced R&D in the 1970s and 1980s for aluminum auto body applications.

This article discusses the development of a new metallographic technique to identify defects in aluminum alloy joints produced by friction stir welding. This method won the Jacquet-Lucas Award for Excellence in Metallography at the International Metallographic Contest held during MS&T in Pittsburgh, October 2017.

When the first aluminum hood launched in 1977, the mills were delivering rectangular blanks separated by paper to protect the delicate outer surfaces. This article reviews important advances in aluminum forming and heat treating in the latter part of the twentieth century.