The outboard light housing on the Boeing 737 next generation aircraft was initially designed and manufactured as a cast aluminum part. Delays in delivery and other quality problems resulted in the part being redesigned as an aluminum superplastically formed (SPF) part. Advances in material use and tooling were necessary to successfully transition the part to the SPF form. The resulting part is lower in cost and lighter in weight than the original. This work summarizes the steps taken to implement the SPF outboard light housing.
Developing a superplastic forming application using aluminum tube
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance ; 13 , 6 ; 720-726
2004
7 Seiten, 13 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
Superplastic forming of aluminum
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