I. The Use of Titanium in China's Defense Industry

Whether in the United States or Russia, titanium materials are mainly used in the aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding industries. In recent years, these two fields in our country have developed rapidly. There have been continuous mass production of new aircraft and many ongoing research projects. It is estimated that the use of titanium in these two fields will increase significantly. Moreover, there are also reports indicating that a considerable amount of titanium alloy is used in our F10. Some time ago, a netizen posted pictures on the Tiexue website of China's new titanium alloy engine hood and the titanium alloy connecting parts of the wings of the Qiang-5 fighter jet. It is evident that China has long been mature in the application of titanium alloys. Given time, the application of our titanium alloys will also enable the aerospace industry to make a leap forward. In the aerospace field, China's first large-scale all-titanium ultraviolet space telescope has also been manufactured and tested. The application prospects of titanium alloys in the space field are bright.

Each titanium alloy has its own application. The application of titanium alloys in aircraft manufacturing and the aerospace industry is well-known to all. They are also widely used in daily life and the mechanical industry, such as eyeglasses, golf clubs, super sports bicycles, and so on. However, we know very little about their application in the Army and Navy, and there are not many related articles and explanations. The following lists some of the application situations of high-performance titanium alloys in China's defense industry.

1. Engine industry

Titanium 5Al2.5Sn high-strength titanium alloy - gear sleeves, engine casings, blade covers

Titanium 8Al1Mo1V high titanium alloy - engine blades, gyroscope guide covers, inner skins

Titanium 6Al4V (tensile strength ≥895MPa) heat-treated strengthened titanium alloy - core machine blades and impellers

2. Aviation industry:

Titanium 6Al2Sn strengthened titanium alloy - fasteners, guiding devices, important structures

Titanium 4AlMo1V titanium alloy - Aircraft frame

Titanium Sn5Zr1Mo titanium alloy - landing gear, aircraft load-bearing frame, fasteners

3. Aerospace industry

Titanium alloy 1M1315 - Rocket engine discs, missile base components

Titanium alloy 1M1550 - Missile power blade sleeve

Titanium alloy T-A6V - the main material for spacecraft

4. Army Industry

China has successfully developed two types of mortars, namely the 83-1 and 83-2 types. The 83-1 type 82 mortar widely adopts titanium alloy, reducing the total weight of the gun to 18.1 kilograms, which is extremely convenient for small units such as squats and platoons to carry out assault warfare.

Titanium A7D - Mechanical Analysis forging for New Armored Vehicles

Titanium A6Z5W - Anti-tank rockets (missiles), surface-to-air missile covers and other components with high creep resistance requirements

Titanium 1M1551 - A high-speed rotating component for the firepower of a certain armored vehicle

5. Naval industry

LT41 titanium alloy - Large-area skin for ships

3.7114 titanium alloy - Excellent weldability and good formability, suitable for various water-tight spacers

Titanium V13CA titanium alloy - honeycomb-shaped hull, load-bearing frame

The application of titanium alloys on ships holds great promise. This is related to the strength and toughness of titanium alloys, as well as their corrosion resistance. Titanium in seawater is extremely stable, and it can basically be considered that the hull will not be corroded. This can not only reduce maintenance costs but also reduce the weight of the hull, which is a great benefit for ships. In addition, it is necessary to mention two points: First, titanium is non-magnetic and is of great help in resisting magnetic detection. As for magnetic mines, there is no need to worry. Second, it has an inherent compatibility with advanced ship composite material coatings. However, the stealth composite material to be used in the future has a drawback: it reacts with the high-strength special steel previously used on ships. Due to the potential difference, it is prone to generating thermocouples in seawater, accelerating corrosion. This issue was encountered on 052. Titanium alloy can be perfectly integrated. Ii. The use of titanium in the defense industries of other countries

Among the retired, in-service or under-development weapons and equipment in the world, many use titanium and its alloy structural components. With the transformation of modern warfare models, the rapid mobility of modern armies is required to be particularly prominent. Therefore, for the army, it must rely on the capabilities of transport aircraft to achieve rapid mobility. This requires the army's originally heavy equipment to be as lightweight as possible For instance, nowadays, all countries hope that their artillery can be quickly and effectively transferred to another location to achieve strategic or tactical goals. This will undoubtedly make the development prospects of titanium alloys in the field of artillery very bright. Take the M777 light howitzer of the United States for example, due to the use of titanium alloy shells, its combat total weight has dropped to 3.175 tons. It can be air-freighted by V22 or C130 to achieve rapid mobility. A similar example is the British UFH ultra-light 155mm gun, which uses 1 ton of titanium alloy in a weight of less than 4 tons. This is especially true in the field of air force and navy equipment. The following is a brief introduction to typical cases of successful application of titanium alloys:

① Titanium data for aircraft (unless otherwise specified, it refers to the amount of blank used)

The International Titanium Institute released the following new data on titanium used in aircraft at its annual meeting held in Orlando, USA in October 2002:

The first super-large passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, which was scheduled to be launched in 2004, uses 45 to 65 tons of titanium per aircraft. (See the picture below

2. Boeing passenger aircraft use titanium, which accounts for 15% to 17% of their total weight (net weight).

3. The F15 fighter jet uses 5.75t of titanium for its structure and 5t of titanium for its two jet engines.

4.F22 fighter jet (under development), with 36t titanium for its structure and 5t titanium for its two engines;

5. The F35 fighter jet jointly developed uses titanium 10t for its structure and titanium 5t for a single engine.

6. The F18 carrier-based fighter jet uses titanium, which accounts for 12% to 13% of its total weight (net weight).

7. The C-17 large transport aircraft uses titanium, accounting for 10% of its total weight (net weight).

8. The European EF2000 will reduce the use of titanium and switch to composite materials.

From this, it can be seen that titanium holds an important position in the world's aerospace field, especially in engine manufacturing and airframe manufacturing.

The previous text mentioned that Russia intends to strengthen its control over the strategic rare metal titanium, which has drawn the attention of the United States. After all, a large proportion of titanium is used in the next-generation fighter jets of the United States. If Rosoboronexport of Russia controls the majority of the equity of Avisma, the price increase of international titanium alloys will be inevitable. In this way, there will be uncertain factors involved in the F-22 and F-35 projects. So recently, Timet, the largest titanium material supplier in the United States, has come to China to seek potential partners. It hopes to find suppliers similar to those in Russia in the Chinese market or jointly build factories to use titanium materials produced in China in projects in the United States. It has a significant price advantage and reliable quality. It can be said that it will be very helpful for the future F-22 and F-35 projects of the US military.

It is rare for the global supply of a certain material to have such a prominent impact on the defense industry. This is also the first time since the steel shortage in World War II that the prices of F-22 and F-35 will depend on the future supply of titanium.

The global economy has gradually emerged from its trough, and the international aviation industry has begun to show a recovery growth. The international titanium materials industry has also entered a new period of rapid growth along with this trend, and Chinese enterprises will also embrace new opportunities.

The past few years have marked the beginning of the replacement of fourth-generation fighter jets. In the following many years, a large number of new fighter jets will enter the military every year. The new fighter jets are very meticulous and forward-looking in material selection. For many years to come, the military and aviation industries will undoubtedly be the largest users of titanium materials.

The US military has recently unveiled the concept of a new type of unmanned attack aircraft called "Cormorant" carried by submarines. The "Cormorant" unmanned aerial vehicle is 5.8 meters in length and has a wingspan of 4.86 meters. It is a reusable unmanned combat aircraft. The "Cormorant" was concept-designed by the renowned Lockheed Martin Skunk Factory. As its main entry and exit passage is seawater, the entire aircraft is made of titanium alloy to prevent corrosion. Its total takeoff weight does not exceed 4 tons and it can carry a payload of 453 kilograms. The main consideration for its usage is to launch from the strategic missile launchers of Ohio-class nuclear submarines. It is mainly used to destroy targets near the coast. The air intake of this aircraft is located at the nose of the machine and is in a triangular shape. Due to the use of titanium alloy, its body has extremely high strength and can withstand the pressure at a depth of 150 feet. And to prevent the occurrence of external pressure instability, all unnecessary Spaces inside the machine body are filled with special plastic. To enhance the concealment of flight, its shape also adopts a complex stealth design. The maximum flight speed of the "Cormorant" is expected to reach 880 kilometers per hour, with a cruising speed of 550 kilometers per hour, a maximum flight altitude of 10.7 kilometers, a combat radius of 926 kilometers, and a continuous flight time of 3 hours. The excellent qualities of titanium are fully demonstrated!

② The application of titanium in the navy

The application of titanium in the navy is also very extensive, with the main application countries being the submarines of the Soviet Union/Russia.

The Akula-class attack nuclear submarine: The Akula-class adopts a teardrop-shaped, double-hull design, with one inner layer made of titanium alloy. Designed by the renowned "Malachite" submarine Design Bureau of the Soviet Union and manufactured by Komsomolskaya Shipyard and Severodvinsk Shipyard.

Sierra class attack nuclear submarine: Russia's Sierra class (also known as S-class) multi-purpose attack nuclear submarine. It can be said to be the most mysterious one among the complex family of nuclear submarines in Russia. The main reason is that the "Serra" class boat adopts a titanium alloy double-hull, and its large diving depth, high speed, strong firepower and excellent stealth performance are impressive. But the cost was extremely high. Nicknamed "Goldfish", only four were built.

As for the peak work of titanium materials in submarines, I still think it should be awarded the Typhoon class: The Soviet Union built a total of six Typhoon class submarines, and the Typhoon was the first of them. The uniqueness of the "Typhoon" class lies in the fact that it is equipped with a complete set of independent navigation and combat systems such as torpedoes, missiles, and power units. It adopts a double-shell structure with a reserve buoyancy of approximately 32%. There is a distance of over 3 meters between the two shells, which enhances its ability to withstand underwater and impact. Each typhoon-class vessel uses approximately 9,000 tons of titanium, which is equivalent to the total annual titanium output of our country at present! It can be seen how huge the military investment was during the Soviet era.

The Soviet Union/Russia also had nuclear submarines with titanium hulls, such as the Alfa-class, etc., but none of them made a significant impact, so there is no need to elaborate further. Titanium on submarines is not only used in the hull but also in the pipes and condensers of submarines. Nowadays, almost all condensers on submarines and surface ships are made of titanium. It can be said that during the service life of submarines and ships, titanium condensers generally do not need to be replaced. This not only saves maintenance costs but also avoids a reduction in availability due to condenser malfunctions.

Due to the reasons of material prices and production volume, there are few reports of submarines from other countries using titanium casings.

The properties of titanium and its alloys are beyond doubt. The metallurgical processes of various titanium alloys are also quite common for major countries, only considering the issue of cost. With the development of the economy, the special requirements of national defense can also be guaranteed. Therefore, titanium and its alloys will witness rapid development in both application and military fields in the future. At the same time, titanium and its alloys will also significantly enhance the performance of some special equipment.

The future of titanium and its alloys is immeasurable!