Titanium metal is abundant in the earth’s crust and is extracted commercially from the ore minerals rutile (titanium dioxide) and ilmenite (iron-titanium oxide). Titanium offers properties high strength, stiffness, toughness, low density, and good corrosion resistance. These properties are enabled by a wide variety of titanium alloys ranging from applications at very low to elevated temperatures. This enables weight savings in multiple key aerospace applications and other high-performance applications in the medical, chemical and car industry.
In addition, titanium and titanium alloys really form stable protective surface layers which give them excellent corrosion resistance in many environments, including oxidizing acids and chlorides, and good elevated temperature properties up to about 550 C (1022 F) in some cases.
Titanium and Titanium Alloys can be divided into four classes depending their constituent phases:
1. Unalloyed or commercially pure titanium;
2. Alpha and near alpha alloys;
3. Alpha- plus -beta alloys;
4. Beta-alloys