Everything You Need to Know About Titanium

Titanium was discovered in 1791 by Reverend William Gregor in Cornwall and was extracted from its ore for the first time in the 1930’s. From then, our knowledge and titanium uses have quickly developed over the last 50 years.

Most of it is found in volcanic igneous and metamorphic rock formations. Comprising 0.66% of the earth’s crust, it is the 9^th most common element on the planet and the 4^th most common structural element. Not free in nature in its pure state, the element is only found bonded with other elements and occurs naturally within plants, seawater, the human body and space components.

Its most recognisable for being a silver-coloured metal with the highest strength-to-density ratio. This, amongst other distinctive properties, make titanium extremely useful for a wide range of purposes.

Properties of Titanium

Thermal Expansion

Titanium has a low coefficient of linear expansion compared to other metals, like stainless steel, copper and aluminium. Thermal expansion refers to the ratio that a metal expands in accordance with changes in temperature; because it has a low coefficient, this means that it has low distortion values.

Corrosion Resistance

When titanium comes into contact with oxygen, it forms an inert protective dioxide film which essentially makes it corrosion resistant. This includes resistance against sea water, chlorine, and reducing acids like hydrochloric and sulfuric acid. Titanium uses that benefit from corrosion resistance are automotive, chemical processing / plants and petrochemical processing.

Low Thermal Conductivity

With its high melting point, titanium has low thermal conductivity meaning it is a good insulator and useful for operations in extreme environments.

Titanium Uses & Applications

This metal can be alloyed with a number of different elements after extraction and used for a variety of applications:

Military Equipment & Aerospace

One of titanium’s first major applications were military vehicles, this included both aircrafts and submarines. Occurring during the 1950’s through to the 1960’s, the popularity of titanium increased so much so that it begun to be used by commercial aircraft manufacturers as well.

Medical

Due to titanium’s biocompatibility, it is commonly used in the medical field mainly for joint replacement, dental implants and prosthetics. It doesn’t trigger a negative immune response in humans, so the metal can therefore integrate into our bodies; this process is called osseointegration.

Other applications include water desalination, offshore oil & natural gas rigs, architecture, jewellery, sports equipment

Titanium Alloys from China Alloy Parts

At China Alloy Parts, we are an industry leader in supplying a wide range of high performance, specialist alloys for a variety of markets across the world. To learn more about titanium’s mechanical and physical properties, as well as our stock range, read our information on Titanium.

If you would prefer to talk to an expert engineer about what Titanium can bring to your application, contact us today to start your journey.