Titanium is the IVB element in the periodic table. It looks like steel and has a melting point of 1 672 ℃. It is a refractory metal. Titanium is abundant in the earth's crust, much higher than common metals such as Cu, Zn, Sn, and Pb. my country's titanium resources are extremely rich. Only among the super-large vanadium-titanium magnetites discovered in Panzhihua, Sichuan, the associated titanium metal reserves are approximately 420 million tons, which is close to the total proven titanium reserves abroad.
Pure titanium has strong mechanical properties, good plasticity, and easy processing. If impurities, especially O, N, and C, increase the strength and hardness of titanium, but will reduce its plasticity and increase brittleness.
Titanium is a metal that is easily passivated, and in an oxygen-containing environment, its passivation film can heal itself after being damaged. Therefore, dry corrosive media are stable. Titanium and titanium alloys have excellent corrosion resistance and can only be corroded by the concentration of hydrofluoric acid. Especially stable, after taking out the titanium or titanium alloy, it is still bright as before, far better than stainless steel.
Another important characteristic of titanium is its low density. Its strength is 3.5 times that of stainless steel and 1.3 times that of aluminum alloy, which is the highest among all industrial metal materials.
Liquid titanium can dissolve almost all metals and form various alloys such as solid solutions or metal compounds. The addition of alloying elements such as Al, V, Zr, Sn, Si, Mo and Mn can improve the properties of titanium to meet the needs of different departments. For example, Ti-Al-Sn alloy has high thermal stability and can work for a long time at a relatively high temperature; superplastic alloy represented by Ti-Al-V alloy can be extended by 50% to 150% Processing and forming, its maximum elongation can reach 2 000%. The elongation of general alloy plastic working is no more than 30%.
Due to the above-mentioned excellent properties, titanium enjoys the reputation of "the metal of the future". Titanium alloy has been widely used in various sectors of the national economy. It is an indispensable material for rockets, missiles and space shuttles. Titanium alloys are widely used in ships, chemicals, electronic devices and communication equipment, as well as in some light industry sectors. However, the price of titanium is relatively expensive, which limits its widespread use.