Titanium Alloys

This chapter highlights how the majority of applications of titanium alloys are in the aerospace sector due to the mass savings that can result from the high specific strength of these materials. The list of applications given demonstrates that titanium alloys have uses both in aircraft engines and airframes. The different patterns of usage in civil and military aviation are highlighted as being due to the high cost of titanium alloys. The factors which restrict the use of titanium alloys to temperatures far below their high melting points are stated. Explanations of titanium’s alpha and beta phases are given, along with typical properties of the corresponding alpha and beta alloys. It is shown how this knowledge of the underlying phases allows the behaviour of the different alloy types to be understood.