Materion Corp., Mayfield Heights, Ohio, announces that the Society of Automotive Engineers – Aerospace Material specification Nonferrous Alloys Committee (SAE-AMS) has approved specification of AMS4368 for Materion's SupremEX 640XA aluminum composite. The AMS specification allows engineers to reference a national standard for material properties and ensures that supply is available to meet demand. This is Materion’s second AMS specification for a SupremEX metal matrix composite.
A high quality aerospace grade aluminum composite SupremEX 640XA is used heavily in applications for national defense, aviation, and space. It provides improved performance in aero-engine components and aircraft structures because it is 60% lighter than steel and 36% lighter than titanium, yet offers high strength, stiffness, and fatigue properties that significantly increase a component's capability and useful life.
SupremEX 640XA is composed of aluminum 6061 reinforced with 40% silicon carbide three-micron particles, and is manufactured by a proprietary a powder metallurgy route using a high energy mixing process to ensure homogeneous particle distribution and to refine the grain structure to enhance mechanical properties. The alloy is heat treatable, offering high strength and modulus for structural applications, and is available in billet, forged, and extruded forms. Its enhanced mechanical properties, make it an ideal replacement for aluminum, titanium, steel, and other structural alloys and composites.
SupremEX also provides superior damage tolerance and improved wear resistance compared to conventional alloys. With a low coefficient of thermal expansion, components made of this composite do not deform over the range of temperatures experienced during flight.
“Other Materion aerospace-grade products have earned SAE-AMS specifications, including SupremEX 225XE, so we understand the value of this designation,” says W. Glenn Maxwell, President, Materion Performance Alloys and Composites. “With this specification, it’s much easier and faster for engineers to include the material in their designs and recommend it to new customers. In fact, many engineers will not consider using materials without SAE-AMS specifications.”
