About Titanium

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Titanium was discovered in 1791 by an English scientist and reverend named William Gregor. He was the first to recognize it as a new element. A few years later it was confirmed to be a new element by an Austrian Chemist named Martin Klaproth. Martin named the new element titanium, after the Titans of Greek mythology. The Titans were very powerful deities and were the first to rule the Earth. A fitting name for such a strong material.

Pure titanium metal was not produced until 1875 by a Russian scientist named Kirillov, and in the U.S. in 1910 by Matthew Hunter of GE. Then in the 1940s Wilhelm Kroll, who was from Luxembourg, developed a better process. With his process the manufacture of titanium really took off. To this date his process is still in use.

The aerospace industry immediately started putting this wonderous new metal to good use. Because of titanium's high strength to weight ratio it is an excellent choice for aircraft and spacecraft. Titanium is also used in the marine industry, from ships to submarines to saltwater pumps.

Titanium is highly corrosion resistant. It instantaneously creates a very thin layer of oxidation on it's surface, and this layer helps it resist corrosion from acid and saltwater. With anodizing or heating this layer creates different colors. This layer of protection also makes titanium an inert hypoallergenic material. It will cause no irritation to organic substances so it is perfect for use in the medical industry.

I guess you could say titanium is a jack of all trades. With it's several desireable qualities - hypoallergenic, high strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance it can be applied to a broad range of applications. It is used in the aerospace industry, the automotive industry, the medical industry, the marine industry, and wherever it's benefits can be applied.
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Titanium is available in several different grades. Pure titanium is gray in color and not as strong as titanium alloys are. The most common alloy is 6al-4v or 6-4 titanium. This offers the best all around performance and is highly used throughout many industries.

Pure titanium is available in 4 grades with a tensile strength from 35,000 psi to 80,000 psi. This means that a 1 inch square piece of titanium can withstand 35-80 thousand pounds pulling on it until it breaks. 80,000 pounds is the weight of a fully loaded semi truck.

6-4 titanium (grade 5) is a more silvery color and has a tensile strength of 130,000 psi, and is also harder than pure titanium. 6-4 titanium is 90 percent titanium, 6 percent aluminum, and 4 percent vanadium. The rest of the grades are various alloys with slightly different properties.
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Aerospace - Titanium is used a lot in the aerospace industry because of its high strength to weight ratio. Obviously airplanes need to be light and strong, making titanium the perfect choice. The only drawback to titanium is increased cost compared to other metals.

It is used in many different places from jet engines to airframe structures to small brackets. The SR-71 Blackbird used titanium almost exclusively in its construction, from the airframe to the skin of the aircraft. It is the fastest jet powered plane of all time.

Automotive - Titanium is used for many aftermarket automotive components including engine valvetrains and connecting rods, strut braces, and is even coming stock on cars like the Corvette Z06 which has a titanium exhaust.

Apparel - Titanium is becoming a popular choice for apparel. It is used for many products including eyeglasses, necklaces, earrings, body piercing jewelry, watches and rings. It's light weight and good looks make it a good candidate for these items.

Marine - Titanium is used in ships and submarines because of it's excellent resistance to saltwater corrosion. It is used for propulsion (propellers and shafts), water pumps, submarine valves, and other components. It is also used in desalination plants (plants that remove the salt from saltwater using reverse osmosis)

Medical - Titanium is used extensively for medical implants. It is inert to the body and bone will actually grow onto the titanium. It is used for joint replacements, supports for broken bones, dentistry, and other medical applications. 6-4 titanium is commonly used because of its strength, but new processes are being developed to create pure titanium that is strong enough to be used. Pure titanium is better because it contains no other metals.

Recreational - Titanium is being used more for recreational products such as bicycle frames, golf clubs, radio controlled cars, tennis rackets, motorcycles, rock climbing, you name it! Anywhere there is a need for strength and lightness you will find titanium.

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