Titanium why is it so expensive?

Since titanium metal was discovered in the early twentieth century, titanium and its alloys have been widely studied and applied due to its low relative density, good heat and corrosion resistance, and high structural strength. Titanium is a silver-white metal and is classified as a rare light metal in the metal classification. Its melting point is 1668°C.

• Low density and high specific strength

The density of titanium metal is 4.51g/cm³, which is higher than aluminum but lower than steel, copper and nickel, but its specific strength is higher than aluminum alloy and high-strength alloy steel. The high specific strength shows that the metal material is light and high strength, so titanium is a light and high strength metal structure material. The high specific strength of titanium makes it widely used in the development of cutting-edge technologies such as aviation, aerospace, missiles, and weapons. In general industries, titanium and titanium alloys are used in high-speed rotating generator guard rings, large steam turbine blades, high-end bicycles, golf clubs, and poles for high jumps.

• Non-magnetic, non-toxic

Titanium is a non-magnetic metal and will not be magnetized in a large magnetic field. Titanium pacemakers are not affected by thunderstorms and have good compatibility with human tissues and blood, so they are adopted by the medical community.

• Good heat resistance

The new titanium alloy can be used for a long time at a temperature of 600°C or higher. With the development of the aviation and aerospace industries, heat-resistant titanium alloys are used for components such as the starting discs, blades, rear fuselage, guides, and intake turns.

• Good low temperature resistance

Low temperature titanium alloy represented by titanium alloy TA7 (Ti-5Al-2.5Sn), TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) and Ti-2.5Zr-1.5Mo, etc., its strength increases with the decrease of temperature, but the plastic change is not Big. It maintains good ductility and toughness at low temperatures of -196-253℃, avoids cold brittleness of metals, and is an ideal material for cryogenic containers, storage tanks and other equipment.

• Strong corrosion resistance

Titanium is a very active metal, its equilibrium potential is very low, and the thermodynamic corrosion tendency in the medium is high. But in fact, titanium is very stable in many media. For example, titanium is corrosion-resistant in oxidizing, neutral and weakly reducing media. This is because titanium and oxygen have a great affinity. In the air or in an oxygen-containing medium, a dense, strong adhesion and inert oxide film is formed on the surface of titanium, which protects the titanium matrix from corrosion. Even due to mechanical wear, it will quickly heal itself or regenerate again, which indicates that titanium is a metal with a strong tendency to passivation.