U.K.-based Alvant is showcasing its hybrid-metal aluminum composites (AMCs) at the Innovate UK stand (Hall 3, Stand 3796) this week at the Farnborough Airshow. The AMCs are Alvant’s response to the aerospace industry’s challenges of reducing aircraft weight and emissions.

AMCs are made with aluminum reinforced with a secondary high-performance material such as long fiber, short fiber, or particles. Some of the benefits of AMCs include higher strength, greater stiffness, less weight, and wear resistance when compared to unreinforced metals.

“The aerospace industry faces the challenge of finding suitable materials that will reduce weight and improve efficiency while maintaining reliability and lowering whole-life ownership costs,” said Gemma Christian, technical director for Alvant. “AMCs offer an exciting potential to an industry that needs a step-change in performance to meet ever-stringent market and legislative demands. We believe AMCs can offer reductions in weight of approximately 25 percent compared to titanium components of similar design.”

Alvant’s success with AMCs led to the company receiving orders to supply the "Breakthough Aerospace Materials" project with Rolls-Royce (Hall 4, Stand 41394). Safran Landing Systems also recently selected Alvant to participate in its "Large Landing Gear of the Future" initiative to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The project will examine how AMCs can impact the design and assembly of landing gear.