#1. It’s superior in strength
Titanium has the highest strength-weight ratios of all structural metals, For example it would take twice as much aluminum to produce the same strength seen in a titanium structure. While other metals like steel are also extremely strong, it weighs about 45% more than it’s titanium counterpart. It’s lightweight-high strength ratio is what makes it the preferred choice for high-stress applications.
#2. Titanium has an extremely high melting point
Titanium has a very high melting point, meaning that it won’t liquify until it’s reached 3,034 degrees Fahrenheit. In comparison, aluminum reaches its melting point at only 1,221 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite having this high melting point, it still does not surpass that of tungsten.
#3. It’s the 9th most abundant element in earth’s crust
Despite titanium being the 9th most abundant element in earth’s crust, it's still one of the most expensive industrial metals. It’s high cost is a result of two things, first due to the high cost of extracting titanium from its ore, and second because the processing that must be done generates large amounts of expensive waste.
#4. It’s one of the youngest structural metals
Titanium was not even identified as an element until the 1700’s, unlike iron which has been dated back to 3200 BC. In 1937 an inventor by the name of Dr. Wilhelm J. Kroll developed the process that would prove the metal could be commercially produced. It then took an additional 11 years of process development before the first commercial titanium sheet was produced.
#5. Titanium sparks white when being cut with a waterjet
During the cutting process titanium gives off brilliant white sparks that differ greatly from the yellow sparks you often see when cutting other metals. These blinding white sparks occur because titanium is a non-ferrous metal, meaning it does not contain a significant amount of iron.
At Intelligent Cutting solutions we most often see titanium projects come our way from the aerospace industry, although it has no shortage of applications. Although we gave you our top 5 fun facts about titanium, there’s plenty more to learn. To learn more about titanium visit our metals & alloy page, where we go in-depth about the defining characteristics of some of the most common metals we cut!
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