Aluminum

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David, 1919, Aircraft, pp. 5–6:

The first rigid dirigible with aluminum framework was built by an Austrian named Schwartz in 1897. This was the prototype of the Zeppelin, and no practical rigid lighter-than-air ship could now be lifted by hydrogen unless it had an aluminum framework.

Hans Fabian, "Aeronautical Research Comes into Being During the Time of the Empire", in Hirschel, Prem, & Madelung, 2014, Aeronautical Research in Germany, p. 31:

During the early years of aeronautics, mostly natural materials as light as possible have been used: all kinds of wood, including balsa, willow-twigs and similarly deformable materials. As cover material served cotton and other fabrics. However, it was soon attmepted to use metal since strength and deformability were important. Here, aluminum soon gained a special role. Aluminum is a light metal, discovered in 1827 by the German chemist Friedrich Woehler, with a specific weight of 2.7 h/cm3 (0.1 lb/in3) and thus three times lighter than iron. At the time of its discovery as expensive as precious metal, declined the price from decade to decade. In 1855 the cost of one kilogram was 1,000 Marks dropping to just 2 Marks in 1900. Initially, it was due to its softness not very suitable. Only after discovering that the addition of magnesium, manganese and copper resulted in hardened light-metal alloys did it become the most important material in aircraft construction, after having already been proven effective in airship design.
Carl Berg, owner of a copper foundry in Eveking/Westphalia, was, as already mentioned, the one who could produce forgeable aluminum alloys in sufficient quantity. His personal engagement for the use of aluminum in the construction of airships has considerably contributed to its success also in the design of aircraft.

This wiki has 33 patents in category "Aluminum". Other techtypes related to Aluminum: Rigid, Zeppelin (aircraft)

Patents in category Aluminum

Enclosing categories Materials, Metal
Subcategories
Keywords Texture, Rigid
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