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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of duralumin

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

Example Sentences

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 • Jun. 28, 2012

Because of the additional weight, and because the Douglas is a skin-stressed airplane, the windows had to be replaced with duralumin sheeting.

From Time Magazine Archive

The duralumin section is 50 ft. long, 10 ft. high, and just one arc of the 133-ft. diameter ring which is to be the "keel" of the airship.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Perl plan is to build a 22-ft. duralumin fuselage shaped like a dirigible, hermetically sealed.

From Time Magazine Archive

The forward portion was covered with duralumin sheeting, an aluminium alloy which, unlike aluminium itself, is not affected by the action of sea air and water, and the remainder with fabric laced to the framework.

From A History of Aeronautics by Vivian, Evelyn Charles