Design requirements for aerospace structural materials

Structural materials used in the aerospace industry require a certain balance in physical and mechanical properties to enable their safe and efficient use. For the purposes of this chapter, these properties can be arbitrarily separated into those that affect the structural performance of the application ab initio and those limiting its service performance. Both types of property have an influence on the cost of the structure, either in its purchase or in ownership, and both types are therefore important in making the best selection of material for a specific application. Additionally, the development of an improved aerospace material will be seen to be dependent upon an enhanced balance of properties and rarely upon the improvement of a single characteristic. It is the purpose of this chapter to attempt to identify those features of a material that are required to optimize efficient structural application.