Titanium plates and alloys feature low density, high specific strength, a high yield-to-strength ratio, good plasticity and toughness, low thermal conductivity, and high elongation. Titanium is so stable that it's difficult to mine, smelt, or even use, so it's not often thought of. In fact, titanium reserves account for 0.6% of the total area, ranking ninth, making them very abundant. Titanium's low reactivity depends on the situation. In room-temperature air, titanium is very stable and unreactive. However, at high temperatures, it is highly chemically active and readily reacts with a variety of gases. Titanium is a metal, and while its thermal conductivity isn't slow, it's much slower than some common metals. Current data puts titanium's thermal conductivity close to that of stainless steel, approximately one-fourteenth that of aluminum, and one-fifth that of iron. It has great potential in the automotive industry.
More info about Titanium Tube
The application of titanium plates in the shipbuilding industry is mainly due to its excellent corrosion resistance, low density, memory, and non-magnetic properties.
Titanium and titanium alloys are widely used in nuclear submarines, submersibles, atomic icebreakers, hydrofoils, hovercraft, minesweepers, propellers, whip antennas, seawater pipes, condensers, heat exchangers, acoustic devices, fire fighting equipment, etc. The main uses of titanium alloys are: industrial pure titanium, titanium zirconium alloy, titanium alloy, titanium alloy.
(1) All-titanium boats. F1 has good practical experience in manufacturing titanium boats. In the 1990s, all-titanium fishing boats or speedboats were manufactured by Toho Titanium Co., Ltd., Richang Industrial Co., Ltd., Fuji New Shipyard and Jiangteng Shipyard. All-titanium boats have the advantages of light weight, high speed, small engine, low fuel cost, low carbon dioxide emissions, no surface coating, and easy to clean accessories. The disadvantages are high material cost, difficult processing and manufacturing process, and strict protection requirements. The test results show that the speed stability, vibration and noise of the boat are very good.
(2) Atomic-powered ships. In Russia, titanium alloys are used instead of stainless steel to manufacture steam engines, heat exchangers and ship coolers, overcoming corrosion damage. Titanium steam engines are widely used in power plants of Russian atomic icebreakers. The use of titanium alloys can extend the life of engines by more than 10 times.
(3) Propellers. Propeller materials require high strength, good fatigue performance in seawater, erosion resistance and cavitation corrosion resistance. Titanium alloys can meet the above comprehensive performance requirements. The US Navy first used a 1500 mm diameter, four-blade detachable titanium alloy propeller on a hydrofoil ship. The hydrofoil speedboat propeller was successfully developed in China in 1972. At present, titanium alloy propellers of various specifications have been produced, with a diameter of 450-1700 mm. Titanium alloy fixed propellers with a diameter of 1200 mm and a mass of 130 kg can be produced. Long-term use shows that the service life of titanium alloy propellers is more than 5 times that of copper alloy propellers.
(4) Marine pumps, valves and pipes. Pumps, valves, and pipes made of copper and stainless steel had a service life of only 2-5 years due to extremely harsh operating conditions. Titanium alloy, which was later replaced, has proven effective and is suitable for high-flow seawater pipelines. Russian ship pipeline lifespan standards stipulate three lifespan requirements: an initial docking maintenance period of 8-9 years; a service life of at least 15 years; and a full lifespan requirement of 25-30 years for all types of vessels.