TITANIUM & ALLOYS

Titanium is used in Steel as an alloying element (ferrotitanium) to reduce grain size and as a deoxidizer and in stainless steel to reduce carbon content. Titanium is often alloyed with aluminium (to refine grain size), vanadium, copper (to harden), iron, manganese, molybdenum, and other metals. Applications for Titanium mill products (sheet, plate, bar, wire, forgings, and castings) can be found in Industrial, Aerospace, Recreational, and Emerging markets. Powdered Titanium is used in Pyrotechnics as a source of bright-burning particles.

PIGMENTS, ADDITIVES, AND COATINGS

• Watch glass on a black surface with a small portion of white powder.
• Titanium dioxide is the most commonly used compound of titanium.

About 95% of Titanium ore extracted from the Earth is destined for refinement into Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), an intensely white permanent pigment used in paints, paper, toothpaste, and plastics. It is also used in cement, in gemstones, as an optical opacifier in paper, and a strengthening agent in graphite composite fishing rods and golf clubs.

TiO2 powder is chemically inert, It resists fading in sunlight and is very opaque. This allows it to impart a pure and brilliant white color to the brown or gray chemicals that form the majority of Household Plastics. In nature, this compound is found in the minerals anatase, brookite, and rutile. Paint made with Titanium dioxide does well in severe temperatures and stands up to marine environments. Pure titanium dioxide has a very high index of refraction and an optical dispersion higher than diamond. In addition to being a very important pigment, Titanium dioxide is also used in sunscreens.

AEROSPACE AND MARINE

Due to their high tensile strength to density ratio, high corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, high crack resistance, and ability to withstand moderately high temperatures without creeping, Titanium Alloys are used in Aircraft, Armor Plating, Naval Ships, Spacecraft, and Missiles. For these applications titanium alloyed with aluminium, zirconium, nickel, vanadium, and other elements is used for a variety of components including critical structural parts, firewalls, landing gear, exhaust ducts (helicopters), and hydraulic systems. About two third of all titanium metal produced is used in Aircraft Engines and Frames.

Due to its high corrosion resistance to seawater, It is used to make propeller shafts and rigging and in the heat exchangers of desalination plants; in heater-chillers for saltwater aquariums, fishing line, and leader, and divers’ knives. Titanium is used to manufacture the housings and other components of ocean-deployed surveillance and monitoring devices for scientific and military use. The Former Soviet Union developed techniques for making submarines with hulls of titanium alloys. Techniques were developed in the Soviet Union to forge Titanium in Huge Vacuum Tubes.

INDUSTRIAL

Welded Titanium pipe and process equipment (heat exchangers, tanks, process vessels, valves) are used in the chemical and petrochemical industries primarily for corrosion resistance. Specific alloys are used in downhole and nickel hydrometallurgy applications due to their high strength (e. g.: titanium Beta C alloy), corrosion resistance or a combination of both. The pulp and paper industry uses titanium in process equipment exposed to corrosive media such as sodium hypochlorite or wet chlorine gas (in the bleachery). Other applications include Ultrasonic Welding, Wave Soldering and sputtering targets.

(TiCl4) Titanium Tetrachloride, a Colorless Liquid, is Important as an intermediate in the process of making TiO2 and is also used to produce the Ziegler–Natta catalyst. Titanium tetrachloride is also used to iridize glass and, because it fumes strongly in moist air, it is used to make smoke screens.

CONSUMER AND ARCHITECTURAL

Titanium metal is used in Automotive Applications, particularly in automobile or motorcycle racing, where weight reduction is critical while maintaining high strength and rigidity. The metal is generally too expensive to make it marketable to the general consumer market, other than high-end products, particularly for the racing/performance market. Some late model Corvettes have been available with titanium exhausts, and the new Corvette Z06’s LT4 supercharged engine uses lightweight, solid titanium intake valves for greater strength and resistance to heat.

Titanium is used in many sporting goods: Tennis Rackets, Golf clubs, Lacrosse stick shafts; Cricket, Hockey, Lacrosse, and Football Helmet Grills; and Bicycle frames and components. Although not a mainstream material for bicycle production, Titanium bikes have been used by race teams and adventure cyclists. Titanium alloys are also used in spectacle frames. This results in a rather expensive, but highly durable and long-lasting frame which is light in weight and causes no skin allergies. Many backpackers use titanium equipment, including cookware, eating utensils, lanterns, and tent stakes. Though slightly more expensive than traditional steel or aluminium alternatives, these titanium products can be significantly lighter without compromising strength. It is also favored for use by farriers because it is lighter and more durable than steel when formed into horseshoes.

Because of its superior strength and lightweight when compared to other metals traditionally used in firearms (steel, stainless steel, and aluminium), and advances in metalworking techniques, Using Of Titanium has been Widely Spread in the Manufacturing of Firearms. Primary uses include pistol frames and revolver cylinders. For these same reasons, it is also used in the body of Laptop Computers.

Some upmarket categories of tools made to be lightweight and corrosion-resistant, such as shovels and flashlights, are made of titanium or titanium alloys as well.

JEWELLERY

Because of its durability, titanium has become more popular for designer jewelry (particularly, titanium rings). Its inertness makes it a good choice for those with allergies or those who will be wearing the jewelry in environments such as swimming pools. Titanium is also alloyed with gold to produce an alloy that can be marketed as 24-carat gold, as the 1% of alloyed Ti is insufficient to require a lesser mark. The resulting alloy is roughly the hardness of 14-carat gold and thus is more durable than a pure 24-carat gold item would be.

Titanium’s durability, lightweight, dent- and corrosion resistance makes it useful in the production of watch cases. Some artists work with titanium to produce artworks such as sculptures, decorative objects, and furniture.

The inertness and ability to be attractively colored makes titanium a popular metal for use in body piercing. Titanium may be anodized to produce various colors, which varies the thickness of the surface oxide layer and causes interference fringes.

MEDICAL

Titanium biocompatibility: Because it is biocompatible (it is non-toxic and is not rejected by the body), titanium has many medical uses, including surgical implements and implants, such as hip balls and sockets (joint replacement) that can stay in place for up to 20 years. The titanium is often alloyed with about 4% aluminium or 6% Al and 4% vanadium.

Titanium has the inherent ability to osseointegrate, enabling use in dental implants that can last for over 30 years. This property is also useful for orthopedic implant applications. These benefit from titanium’s lower modulus of elasticity (Young’s modulus) to more closely match that of the bone that such devices are intended to repair. As a result, skeletal loads are more evenly shared between bone and implant, leading to a lower incidence of bone degradation due to stress shielding and periprosthetic bone fractures, which occur at the boundaries of orthopedic implants. However, titanium alloys’ stiffness is still more than twice that of bone, so adjacent bone bears a greatly reduced load and may deteriorate.

Because titanium is non-ferromagnetic, patients with titanium implants can be safely examined with magnetic resonance imaging (convenient for long-term implants). Preparing titanium for implantation in the body involves subjecting it to a high-temperature plasma arc which removes the surface atoms, exposing fresh titanium that is instantly oxidized.

Titanium is also used for the surgical instruments used in image-guided surgery, as well as wheelchairs, crutches, and any other products where high strength and low weight are desirable.

NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE

Due to its extreme Corrosion Resistance, Titanium containers have been studied for the long-term storage of nuclear waste (containers lasting over 100,000 years are possible under proper manufacturing conditions to reduce defects in the process). A titanium “drip shield” could also be placed over other types of containers to further contain the waste.