Alfred Wilm (25 June 1869 – 6 August 1937) was a German metallurgist who invented the alloy Al-(3.5%-5.5%)Cu-Mg-Mn, now known as Duralumin which is used extensively in aircraft.
[1] Whilst working in private military-industrial laboratory Zentralstelle für wissenschaftlich-technische Untersuchungen [de] (Center for Scientific-Technical Research) in Neubabelsberg in 1901, Wilm discovered age hardening, in particular age hardening of aluminium alloys.
[3] By 1906, Wilm had developed an alloy – Al-(3.5–5.5%)Cu-Mg-Mn (Mg and Mn were < 1%), for which a patent was filed.
[2][5] At the time Wilm was developing an aluminium alloy to replace brass in ammunition.
The patent on Duralumin was ignored and breached by many firms, and he struggled without success to protect his rights under it.