Recent developments in the manufacture of aluminum alloy plate

Increasing performance requirements from the aerospace, defence and general engineering markets have resulted in significant improvements in both materials and manufacturing procedures at British Aluminium Plate. This paper will highlight some of the recent developments in response to these challenging requirements. Attention will be paid to improvements in gauge tolerance control for the general engineering markets achieved through significant investment in state of the art equipment and technology. Also covered will be the alloy and process development work that has resulted in improved damage tolerance and corrosion performance of aluminium alloy plate for the aerospace industry. A further interesting development is the use of thick plate for military bridging which draws on understanding developed from both the aerospace and defence industries.