Titanium Alloys

Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements.
Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures). They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resistance and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. However, the high cost of both raw materials and processing limit their use to military applications, aircraft, spacecraft, bicycles, medical devices, jewelry, highly stressed components such as connecting rods on expensive sports cars and some premium sports equipment and consumer electronics. Although "commercially pure" titanium has acceptable mechanical properties and has been used for orthopedic and dental implants, for most applications titanium is alloyed with small amounts of aluminium and vanadium, typically 6% and 4% respectively, by weight. This mixture has a solid solubility which varies dramatically with temperature, allowing it to undergo precipitation strengthening. This heat treatment process is carried out after the alloy has been worked into its final shape but before it is put to use, allowing much easier fabrication of a high-strength product.
Types of alloys
There are two main types of alloyed aluminium; wrought and cast. Wrought alloys (rolled, extruded or forged) are strengthened either by work–hardening or by heat treatment, with different alloying elements being added to achieve the required strength. Cast alloys are usually very different in their composition to their wrought counterparts, as suitable composition is required for the production of effective casting materials. The wrought alloys are also divided into two groups: heat-treatable and non heat-treatable alloys. Heat-treatable alloys are produced in the main for their strength and durability while the non heat-treatable alloys for their ductility, weldability and corrosion resistance.
Alloy Specifications
All alloys are given a specification number and a combination of letters and numbers that are placed after this specification number to indicate the strengthening process undergone by the metal. For example, the alloy specification 6082 often carries the definition T6 – this indicates that it is solution treated and artificially aged (also known as “fully heat treated”), while alloy 2011 often carries the T3 definition, indicating it has been solution heat treated, cold worked and naturally aged to a substantially stable condition.