duralumin

American  

[doo-ral-yuh-min, dyoo-] / dʊˈræl yə mɪn, dyʊ- /

noun

1. an alloy of aluminum that is 4 percent copper and contains small amounts of magnesium, manganese, iron, and silicon: used for applications requiring lightness and strength, as in airplane construction.

---

Duralumin British  

/ djʊˈræljʊmɪn /

noun

1. a light strong aluminium alloy containing 3.5–4.5 per cent of copper with small quantities of silicon, magnesium, and manganese; used in aircraft manufacture

---

Etymology

Origin of duralumin

1905–10; < Latin dūr ( us ) hard + alumin(um)

Example Sentences

Martin Burgess, a master clockmaker, used Harrison's mechanism and design along with modern materials like duralumin to construct the Martin Burgess Clock B, which has been sealed in a Perspex case at the Royal Observatory since January.

From The Verge

We first built a two-inch chamber of duralumin and glass, with a diaphragm, actuated by compressed air, which could fully expand the chamber in five thousandths of a second.

From Scientific American

Samsung was able to keep the weight down while providing a durable exterior by using an aircraft-grade material known as Duralumin, “a lightweight material that is twice as strong as aluminum,” according to the company.

From Time

Gear-shifting is aided by a duralumin clutch-plate.

From Time Magazine Archive

There were half a dozen Class M sloops�Walter Keith Shaw's Andiamo, sluggish in races the week before the cruise till her captain removed from her keel 100 ft. of lobster line and two lobster pots; Harold Vanderbilt's Prestige, Floyd Leslie Carlisle's Avatar, and Commodore of the New York Yacht Club Winthrop Williams Aldrich's Valiant, all with shiny new duralumin masts; and Chandler Hovey's wooden-masted Istalena.*

From Time Magazine Archive