Structural aerospace parts require high‑strength, fatigue‑resistant steels and alloys with certified quality. Key features include vacuum‑melted materials, full traceability, controlled heat treatment, and extensive non‑destructive testing to ensure product safety.
Structural aerospace parts such as frames, fittings, landing gear elements, and load‑bearing assemblies are subject to extreme mechanical stresses and strict safety regulations. Material requirements are driven by high static and cyclic loads, damage tolerance demands, temperature variation, and long service life. Steels and alloys used in structural aerospace applications must provide high tensile strength, excellent fatigue resistance, fracture toughness, and stable mechanical properties under dynamic loading.
Typical materials include high‑strength low‑alloy steels, vacuum‑melted steels, and martensitic or precipitation‑hardened stainless steels where corrosion resistance is required. For highly loaded structures, advanced alloy steels and selected nickel‑based alloys are used to balance strength and durability. Quality features are a key part of aerospace structural parts manufacturing and include certified material documentation, full traceability, validated heat‑treatment processes, and strict control of chemical composition and microstructure. Non‑destructive testing, dimensional verification, and surface integrity inspection ensure compliance with aerospace standards and guarantee structural reliability throughout the component lifecycle.
BÖHLER N700 is a high-quality corrosion-resistant steel in aerospace quality, in the form of bars, wire and forgings with a diameter/thickness of up to 203 mm in the solution-annealed condition, as well as starting material of any size for forging purposes. It is a martensitic, precipitation-hardenable chromium-nickel-copper steel with high strength and toughness. Further increases in strength can be achieved by cold forming and subsequent precipitation hardening. These products are typically used for parts requiring corrosion resistance and high strength up to 316°C. However, their use is not limited to such applications. However, use is not limited to such applications. Certain processing methods and operating conditions can cause these products to become susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. For applications such as bolting where stress corrosion cracking is possible, the product should be aged for a minimum of 4 hours at the highest temperature compatible with the strength requirements, but in no case lower than 552°C.
Read MoreExisting customers – need quotes fast?
Check stock availability and get pricing 24/7. Ask your local voestalpine sales team about access to our digital webshop.
Please Note: select the Melbourne office for all Adelaide and South Australia enquiries.