Application field of titanium plate-Aerospace field
2024.12.27
- Aerospace industry
- The titanium powerhouse in the aerospace field is concentrated in Western countries, especially the United States, where 60% of titanium materials are used in this field. Asian countries, Japan and China, each contribute around 10% of titanium in this field. However, in recent years, with the rapid development of aerospace in Asia, the consumption of titanium in the aerospace field will increase accordingly. From a global perspective, the aviation industry plays a decisive role in the titanium market, and historically, the large cycles of the titanium industry are closely related to the ups and downs of the aviation industry.
- In 2011, the global titanium production reached 148,000 tons, with approximately 64,000 tons used for commercial aviation. The future global economic growth will continue to drive significant demand for air transportation. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, there will be a demand for around 30,000 new aircraft. Additionally, the demand for titanium in new aircraft is higher than in older models, with an average demand of 40 tons per aircraft expected in the next 20 years. Based on this calculation, the global commercial aviation sector is expected to have an additional demand of around 1.2 million tons of titanium in the next 20 years, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 17%. This translates to an average annual increase of 60,000 tons of titanium demand. The civilian aviation titanium sector is expected to experience rapid growth. There will also be new opportunities in the military aviation sector due to increased global geopolitical tensions and rising military expenditures worldwide.
- Civil aircraft
- The main uses of titanium alloy in aircraft are as follows:
- Reduce structural weight and improve structural efficiency: Advanced combat performance (such as supersonic aircraft) requires aircraft to have a relatively low structural weight coefficient (i.e. structural weight of the aircraft/body weight of the aircraft at normal takeoff), and titanium alloys have the characteristics of strength close to medium-strength steel but with a small density. Replacing structural steel and high-temperature alloys can significantly reduce structural weight, while also saving costs; taking the engine as an example, there are statistics showing that for every kilogram reduction in the mass of an aircraft engine, the operating cost can be reduced by approximately $220-440.
- (2) Meet the requirements for high-temperature parts: Titanium alloy has good heat resistance characteristics, such as the commonly used Ti-6Al-4V can work for a long time at 350℃, so it can replace aluminum alloys in high-temperature parts of aircraft (such as the rear fuselage) where the high-temperature performance requirements are not met; TC11 can work for a long time at 500℃, and can replace high-temperature alloys and stainless steel in the compressor section of the engine.
- To meet the requirements of matching with composite material structures: In order to reduce structural weight and meet stealth requirements, advanced aircraft extensively use composite materials. Titanium alloys match well in terms of strength and stiffness with composite materials, resulting in a good weight reduction effect. Additionally, due to their similar electrical potentials, they are less prone to galvanic corrosion. Therefore, titanium alloys are suitable for structural components and fasteners in corresponding areas.
- Meets the requirements of high corrosion resistance and long service life: Titanium alloy has high fatigue life and excellent corrosion resistance, which can improve the corrosion resistance and service life of the structure, meeting the requirements of high reliability and long service life for advanced aircraft and engines.
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