The Use of Nickel Base Alloys for Structural Applications in Hypersonic Flight

An Assessment of the Temperature Environment likely to be Experienced by Hypersonic Aircraft, Type of Structure Suitable for Use in this Environment and a Detailed Review of the Properties of Nickel Base Alloys, Including their Manufacture and Fabrication, for Structural Use. THE demand for faster and yet faster air‐craft has continued unabated since the Wright Brothers made their first tentative flights some sixty years ago. In 1947 the sound barrier was broken for the first time by the Bell XI. and with the design and development of the Concorde and the American S.S.T. the first stages of breaking the heat barrier have been taken. The next generation of aircraft will be required to fly even faster, and it has been suggested that flight at hypersonic speeds, i.e. Mach 5 and above, will be the next step.