Pure titanium materials and titanium alloys are characterised by biocompatibility, high resistance to chemicals and high specific strength. The range of applications for these materials is very broad, particularly in aerospace and motor sports, in the watch, sporting goods and jewellery industries, in the food industry, in chemical process engineering and in medical technology.
Pure titanium materials and titanium alloys are characterised by biocompatibility, high resistance to chemicals and high specific strength (strength/density ratio).
Unalloyed titanium is mainly used in applications where high corrosion resistance is required, e.g. medical technology, the watch industry and chemical process engineering. The properties of unalloyed titanium are strongly determined by the interstitially dissolved trace elements. Hydrogen has a strong embrittling effect and must be rigorously limited. Oxygen, nitrogen and iron are used specifically to achieve certain strength values in the standard materials.
In titanium alloys, aluminium, vanadium and tin, molybdenum, zirconium, niobium and chromium are mainly used as strength-enhancing alloying elements. The most common alloy is Ti6Al4V. Titanium alloys are mainly used in the aerospace industry, but are also used in the manufacture of golf clubs, surgical implants and medical devices, shuttles for weaving machines and, due to their resistance to salt water, in parts of boats and yachts. In mechanical and equipment engineering, titanium alloys are used in the manufacture of components that are exposed to high dynamic loads up to temperatures of 400°C and higher.
The various combinations of alloying elements lead to the formation of different microstructures and, with appropriate heat treatment, to different effects on strength, toughness, heat resistance, creep resistance and processing properties. Alloys with a low content of interstitially dissolved foreign atoms (H, O, N and C), so-called ELI (extra low interstitial) grades, are used for low-temperature applications.