Question

The bodies of aircrafts are often made with aluminium. Which two properties of aluminium make it suitable for this use?
A.Property 1-good conductor of electricity; Property 2-good conductor of heat
B.Property 1-good conductor of electricity; Property 2- strong
C.Property 1-good conductor of heat; Property 2- low density
D.Property 1- strong; Property 2- low density

Answer 1

Hint: Aluminium is one of the lightest metals but also one of the hardest in the periodic table and is also malleable and ductile. It forms a layer of oxide which protects it from corrosion.

Complete answer:
The use of aluminium to make aircraft bodies has many reasons that can be stated as follows:
Aluminium is lightweight and hence has low density the use of aluminium alloys to make aircraft parts, reducing the weight of the aircraft significantly. It is around one-third the weight of steel and hence it allows an aircraft to carry more weight and reduces fuel efficiency.
Aluminium is a high strength material and it can replace different heavier metals without losing on the strength. Additionally, load-bearing structures can take advantage of aluminium’s strength to make air-craft production more reliable and cost-efficient.

So, option (D) is the correct answer.

Note: Besides being light-weight and strong, the other property that is must in any aircraft is the material should not corrode and aluminium is highly resistant to corrosion and chemical environments, making it especially valuable for aircrafts in highly corrosive environments. Besides aluminium itself, many alloys of it are also used to make the bodies of the aircraft and one of them includes duralumin.