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 Titanium was first
discovered by William Gregor in 1791, an amateur scientist who
discovered a reddish brown calx he could not identify. In
1795, Martin Heinrich Klaproth, an Austrian chemist,
identified titanium as a new element, number 22 on the
periodic chart and named it Titanium after the Greek Gods
known as Titans. The Titans were strong and giant deities in
Greek mythology and is the root of many words, such as
titanic, words associated with great size and strength.
Titanium is a naturally occuring element found in the minerals
rutile, sphene, ilmenite, and in titanates and many iron ores;
titanium is the ninth most abundant element found in the crust
of the earth. Titanium is also found in meteorites, in the
sun, and in rocks obtained from the moon. Titanium, when
pure, is a bright, lustrous white metal. The extraction of
titanium from the ores in which it is found is a slow and very
costly process, making titanium quite expensive.
Wilhelm Kroll is widely
recognized as the father of the modern titanium industry. In
the 1930s and 40s, he developed the method of manufacturing
titanium metal still used today and known as the ‘Kroll
Method’. The Kroll method involves creating a titanium
tetrachloride (TiCl4) via a process of fractional
distillation: the action of chlorine and carbon upon the
rutile or ilmenite in which it is found. This titanium
tetrachloride is then ultimately reduced to the metallic
titanium using magnesium. Excess magnesium is removed from
this product with water and hydrochloric acid, leaving a
’titanium sponge’. This ‘titanium sponge’ can then be melted
into titanium castings, titanium bars, and other forms using
helium or argon. Air is excluded from this process to
prevent contamination. The metal burns in air and is the only
element that burns in nitrogen.
Titanium is 30% stronger
than steel, but is nearly 50% lighter. Titanium is 60%
heavier than aluminum, but twice as strong. Titanium has
excellent strength retention to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Titanium is alloyed with aluminum, manganese, iron, molybdenum
and other metals to increase strength, to withstand high
temperatures, and to lighten the resultant alloy. Titanium’s
high corrosion resistance is also a valuable characteristic,
as when exposed to the atmosphere, titanium forms a tight,
tenacious oxide film that resists many corrosive materials,
particularly salt water. In the 1950s, the titanium metal
industry was established primarily in response to the emerging
aerospace industry which used it in the manufacture of
airframe structural components and skin, aircraft hydraulic
systems, air engine components, rockets, missiles, and space
craft, where these properties are invaluable. The military
also uses titanium in its guided missiles and in artillery.
As the 1970s approached, the cost of titanium products
dropped, making it more available for other practical
applications such as shipbuilding: primarily in submarines, in
ship’s propellers, shafts, rigging, and other highly corrosive
parts. Titanium is being increasingly utilized for medical
applications due to its light weight, its strength, and its
hypoallergenic properties as titanium is also nickel free.
Titanium products are becoming increasingly utilized in other
industries as well, from petrochemical applications to
sporting goods.
ASM Aerospace Specification
Metals was established over 25 years ago and has grown to be a
leading supplier of titanium; ASM specializes in the supply of
all aerospace grades of titanium, including commercially pure.
Since the late 1970s, ASM
has been supplying titanium to the aerospace industry, medical
industry and petroleum-chemical processing industry. We have
become a premier international supplier of all titanium raw
materials: titanium sheet, titanium plate, titanium rod,
titanium bar, titanium coil, titanium tubing, titanium ingot,
titanium extrusions, as well as titanium castings and
forgings. ASM Aerospace Specification Metals is ISO 9001 &
AS 9100A registered, providing high integrity titanium meeting
the material requirements of the most demanding industries.
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