Research and development of new high-performance damage-tolerant titanium alloy material technology for aeronautical structures

Technological innovation in high-performance damage-tolerant titanium alloys for aerospace equipment stands as a core strategic pillar, enabling China’s aviation industry to achieve independent design of equipment structures, localization of key technologies, and leapfrog industrial development. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of the research status and technological advancements in damage-tolerant titanium alloys for aeronautical structures both domestically and internationally, and focuses on expounding the research breakthroughs and engineering application achievements of new high-performance damage-tolerant titanium alloys for aircraft structures by Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials. The study proposes that adhering to the core of “demand-driven, systematic development, and cross-generation research and development” is the fundamental path to promote the iteration of China’s new-generation aeronautical high-performance titanium alloy material technologies. To this end, by making breakthroughs in key technologies such as precise alloy composition design, high-purity and clean smelting, homogenization forming of large-sized bars, integrated processing of integral forgings, and multi-scale comprehensive strengthening and toughening, a backbone material system of titanium alloys for Chinese aircraft structures with independent intellectual property rights has been initially established, covering three series of damage-tolerant titanium alloys: medium-high strength and high toughness, high strength and high toughness, and ultra-high strength and high toughness. Meanwhile, to meet the dual requirements of lightweight and cost-effective aeronautical structures, a new type of medium-high strength and high toughness, low-cost damage-tolerant titanium alloy and its application technology have been successfully developed. This development achieves the collaborative optimization of strength and toughness and the optimal performance matching of three typical microstructures of the alloy, providing a new approach for the lightweight design and engineering application of aeronautical structures. Future research should further integrate cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence-assisted material design and additive manufacturing, strengthen basic theoretical research and engineering verification, and lay a solid theoretical foundation and provide technical support for the further enhancement of performance and wide-scale engineering application of high-performance damage-tolerant titanium alloy materials in China.