Why are airplanes made out of Aluminum?

Question

Why are airplanes made out of Aluminum?

Answer 1

planes are made out of aluminum bc aluminum can't be hit by lightning and so that's why planes are made out of aluminum.

Answer 2

Strong strength to weight ratio.

While the same can be said of exotic metals like titanium, aluminum is much cheaper.

Answer 3

Aluminium is a metal, strong yet flexible. Its particular importance for aircraft is that it is a light mtal. Stainless steel

would exceptioally well for building an aircraft but its weight would make running costs xtememl expensive, that is if the weight could be lifted off the ground, let alone with passengers and cargo.

Answer 4

Lightness.

For an airplane to fly, the power of its engines must be grossly, exaggeratedly beyond the weight of the craft. That means the plane has to be quite light.

In the old days, before aluminum  was available, they were made out of light woods.

Jets are also quite light.

Answer 5

basically, it's a weight/strength/cost issue.

Aluminum is lighter than steel, but still strong enough to use.

Carbon fibre is lighter and stronger than aluminum but costs allot more.

Answer 6

Aluminum is light, strong, easy to work with, and relatively inexpensive.

Why would someone think Aluminum is impervious to lighting strikes?  An odd misconception.  Lightning strikes aluminum structures, including airplanes, frequently.

Answer 7

If not for the discovery of aluminum we would not the air travel system that we have today.  

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Early airliners were made of wood until a famous crash where a beloved sports figure and everyone on board were killed. Wood rot was found to be the cause.  It drew attention to the problem of using wood for building airplanes. Overnight almost, wooden airplanes were phases out and metal clad airliners like the Ford Tri-motor came into use.  

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Steel or iron is too heavy and other than exotic metals like titanium or non-metal structures like modern day composites were not known at the time.  Aluminum is the metal of choice because of it's strength and lightness. Aluminum is not easy to refine from ore but it is the most plentiful metal on Earth.

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Answer 8

it is made of aluminum because this metal is very light and very strong, which is ideal for making aircrafts

Answer 9

aluminum is very strong and very light (comared to other metles : steel iron etc.), and has a high melting point. It can be pressed very thin into sheets. But it is also very expensive...

Answer 10

It's sturdy, maleable, non-oxidizing, lightweight, durable and relatively inexpensive. Cheaper than carbon fiber composites are anyway.

Answer 11

Its both strong and lightweight.

Answer 12

Aluminum has several abilities that are adventagous to aircraft design:

1) Strength vs weight is relatively high

2) Has a wide range of heat treatments. You can tailor make hundreds of different types of aluminum just by giving it different heat treatments.

3) It is very predictable metal to design with.

Carbon Fiber is starting to become the material to use as we learn more about it.

Answer 13

they are made out of aluminium becuase

it's a very light but strong metal that can withstand hot and cold temperatures.

it also helps the aircraft create lift for take-off.

it is also an easy metal to get ahold of and you can bend it into any shape you really need.

hope this helps.

Answer 14

Aluminum has a high strength to weight ratio. An airplane must be strong, but if it is heavy, it cant fly. Airplanes can also be made of titanium, carbon fiber,or wood, but those are more expensive

Answer 15

alominum is litewieght metal.

Answer 16

To put it simply, Al is tough compared to its weight.