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| July 5, 2007
Alcoa Wins Prestigious R&D Award for New Lightweight, High Strength, Damage-Tolerant Alloy
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that a team of its research scientists
and engineers has received an R&D 100 Award for the development of a new
generation of aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry. The
R&D 100 Awards are given annually in recognition of the world's most
significant technological innovations.
"Alcoa's investment in science and technology has historically set our
company apart," said Dr. Mohammad A. Zaidi, executive vice president,
Market Strategy, Technology & Quality. "I congratulate our dedicated
team for a job well done. Alcoa's investment and commitment to research
and development, spurred by the needs of our customers, has enabled our
innovative technical community to bring to highly-valued new products
and processes to the marketplace."
Alcoa has received more than one dozen R&D 100 awards throughout the
years. The award-winning product, aluminum alloy 2099, has
characteristics that have played a pivotal role in helping the aerospace
industry meet the increasingly stringent mission requirements for
structural efficiency, weight-reduction, sustainability and cost.
Since its commercial arrival in 2006, aluminum alloy 2099 products are
creating significant benefits for aerospace industry stakeholders, our
environment, and air travelers by:
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enabling increased fuel efficiency and producing less CO2 emissions;
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reducing the cost of ownership and use; and
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improving the durability, reliability, and safety performance of
aircraft.
The commercialization of aluminum alloy 2099 required coordination
between Alcoa’s global technology organization
and Alcoa’s production facilities to meet
aggressive customer timelines, demonstrating Alcoa’s
ability to take technology from the lab through operating plants to
deliver a product to the customer.
Widely recognized by industry, government and academia as a mark of
excellence for the most innovative ideas of the year, the R&D 100 Awards
are the only industry-wide competition for practical applications of
science. The award-winning technologies and products are selected by the
editors of R&D Magazine and a panel of outside experts.
Awards are based on each achievement’s
technical significance, uniqueness and usefulness compared to competing
projects and technologies. Past winners include the automated teller
machine (1973), the fax machine (1975), the Nicoderm antismoking patch
(1992), and HDTV (1998). This year's winners will be recognized in the
September issue of R&D Magazine and during a ceremony in
October.
Aluminum Alloy 2099 Extruded Shapes and Plate
Aluminum alloy 2099 extruded shapes and plate products reduce weight
because of the alloy's lower density and improved mechanical properties.
The weight of aircraft floor beams and seat tracks made from 2099-T83
extrusions, lower wing stringers made from 2099-T8E67 extrusions, and
aircraft components made from 2099-T8E77 plate is 7-17% lighter than the
alloys/products conventionally used in these applications. The lower
weight translates into highly desirable reductions in fuel consumption
and CO2 emissions.
Aluminum alloy 2099 also improves reliability, as the expected lifetime
of aircraft components made from aluminum alloy 2099 extruded shapes and
plate products is 1.5 to 3 times higher than the alloys/products
conventionally used. By controlling and refining the composition,
temper, and microstructure, aluminum alloy 2099 product exhibits
improved resistance to corrosion and crack propagation. Because aircraft
parts made from 2099 extruded-shape and plate products are more
reliable, they can withstand more fatigue damage and last longer than
parts made with other alloys. These improvements in durability and
damage tolerance - which are measured by resistance to the growth of
fatigue-induced cracks, fracture toughness, and resistance to stress
corrosion cracking - ultimately produce an aircraft that is safer and
less costly to maintain.
About Alcoa Technology
Alcoa’s global technology organization is
comprised of thousands of scientists, engineers and researchers around
the world dedicated to discovering and developing the next-generation of
Alcoa products, processes and services. Alcoa’s
scientific community is connected globally to research centers and
universities in Russia, China, India, Europe and the United States.
Founded on the innovative spirit of Charles Martin Hall and his patent
that sparked the entire aluminum industry, Alcoa has more than 2,600
active patents today. The company also owns the world’s
largest light metals research and development center. Alcoa annually
invests approximately 1% of its revenues in R&D, which is helping to
build a foundation for Alcoa’s future.
About Alcoa
Alcoa (NYSE:AA) is the world's leading producer and manager of primary
aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in
all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace,
automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial
transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering,
production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In
addition to aluminum products and components including flat-rolled
products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa®
wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, structures
and building systems. The company has 122,000 employees in 44 countries
and has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the
world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More
information can be found at www.alcoa.com
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