Structure and mechanical properties of Al-Li alloys as cast

The high mechanical properties of the Al-Li-X alloys contribute to their increasingly broad application in aeronautics, as an alternative for the aluminium alloys, which have been used so far. The aluminium-lithium alloys have a lower specific gravity, a higher nucleation and crack spread resistance, a higher Young’s module and they characterize in a high crack resistance at lower temperatures. The aim of the research planned in this work was to design an aluminium alloy with a content of lithium and other alloy elements. The research included the creation of a laboratorial melt, the microstructure analysis with the use of light microscopy, the application of X-ray methods to identify the phases existing in the alloy, and the microhardness test.