Defense

Aleris is one of the most important suppliers of aluminum armor plate products to the world’s defense industry.  Our high-performance plate products are available in extreme thicknesses and widths, providing solutions to a variety of military challenges.  Additionally, because of its outstanding resistance to corrosion, our Alustar® product is a key component in many military applications, including shipbuilding.

Plate Products

Our plates represent the optimum solution for any kind of structural application -- with specific ballistic performance, if required. They allow the consistent design of low-weight, reliable, and cost-efficient components for light-armored civilian and tactical vehicles, as well as for heavy constructions like military bridges. Using aluminum plate in place of steel also improves the agility and transportability of defense and rescue components (by air transport, for example) into areas of conflict or disaster.

Aluminum armor plates with ballistic requirements are tested at certified testing laboratories such as the BWB (Germany), TNO (The Netherlands), or APG (USA) to stringent national and international regulations and standards.

Aleris aluminum armor plates with ballistic requirements are characterized in detail and compared to minimum values specified in TL and MIL military standards. Additionally, typical mechanical properties past fusion welding and friction stir welding (FSW) demonstrate the advantage of Aleris’ Alustar® alloy in a cost-efficient manufacturing process.

Alloys for defense industry applications include:

• 2xxx  (alloys)
• 5xxx (alloys)
• 6xxx (alloys)
• 7xxx (alloys)
• Alustar®  (AA5059)

Aleris’ Alustar® alloy is used for amphibian and other armored vehicles in corrosive environments. With the ever-increasing need to extend the life cycles of current and future military platforms, the outstanding corrosion resistance and excellent ballistic protection of Alustar® continues to play a critical role.

Extruded Products

Aleris has a wide range of extrusion presses utilizing the whole line of necessary equipment, including CNC machines and MIG (Metal Inert Gas) / TIG (Tungsten-Inert Gas) welding for the production of approved defense extruded products, such as rods, bars and customized shapes. A variety of extrusion presses operate in direct or indirect mode up to 90 MN to produce small, medium, wide and heavy extrusions as open or hollow sections made of 5xxx, 6xxx and 7xxx series alloys.

Aleris Support

The support we provide to original equipment manufacturers is a key component to their success.  Whether it be in the form of technical expertise, engineering know-how in extrusions and components manufacturing, on-site aluminum welding facilities and machining equipment, order processing or after-sales service, customers appreciate having Aleris as their single-source partner.

Research & Development Activities

Aleris’ R&D activities cover two basic areas: 1) product development, and 2) the development of new technologies to improve processes.  Specific areas of research:

• Alloy and technology development
• Casting technology
• Hot- and cold-rolling technology
• Optimization of heat treatment processes
• Numerical and physical modeling of processes and product performance
• NDT-Technology
• Corrosion and surface technology
• Forming technology
• Welding technology (e.g. LBW, FSW)
• Other joining techniques (brazing, adhesive bonding, mechanical joining)
• High-speed machining
• Product design support and numerical simulation in close cooperation with OEMs

For more detailed information, please see our brochure Defense Aluminum.