The two-phase titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) has strong overall performance, strong organizational stability, good toughness, good plasticity, and good performance during high-temperature deformation. It works well under hot pressure and can be aged and quenched to fortify the alloy. Its strength after heat treatment is between 50 and 100 percent greater than its annealed state strength; it has a high high-temperature strength and can withstand temperatures between 400 and 500 degrees Celsius for extended periods of time. It is not as thermally stable as the α titanium alloy.
Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V composition
| Elements | Al | V | Fe | O | Si | C | N | H | Others | Ti |
| Ingredients | 5.5-6.8 | 3.5-4.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.15 | 0.1 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.5 | margin |
The benefits of titanium alloy include its great mechanical qualities at high and low temperatures, strong biocompatibility, low density, high specific strength, superior corrosion resistance, small linear expansion coefficient, and other exceptional properties. It is a significant biological implant material in addition to being a new functional material and high-quality structural material. It has found widespread application in the automotive industry, sports equipment, biomedicine and rehabilitation equipment, aerospace, chemical, and maritime transportation sectors, among other industries.
Since titanium alloy has a very low thermal conductivity, heat generated during cutting is not easily dissipated and instead is stored on the tool and the workpiece, leading to increased tool wear, workpiece burns, and low processing efficiency. Additionally, since titanium alloy is primarily used for structural parts with unique shapes, a significant amount of excess material must be removed; in the aviation industry, this calculation ranges from 50% to 80%, increasing both the cost and cycle time. As a result, we place a high emphasis on near-net-shape manufacturing technology, of which precision casting technology is one of the most effective and popular.
Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V application
| Application Areas | Material characteristics | Application area | ||||
| Aviation Industry | Jet Engine | It has high yield strength/density ratio and fatigue strength/density ratio below 500℃, good thermal stability, excellent atmospheric corrosion resistance, and can reduce the weight of the structure. | Used in parts below 500℃: compressor plate, stationary blades, moving blades, casing, combustion chamber casing, exhaust mechanism casing, center body, injection pipe, etc. | |||
| body | Below 300℃, high specific strength | Fire walls, skins, beams, scaffolding, ribs, bulkheads, fasteners, ducts, doors, tie rods, etc. | ||||
| Rocket, missile and spacecraft industry | At room temperature and ultra-low temperature, it has high specific strength and sufficient toughness and plasticity | High-pressure vessels, fuel tanks, rocket engines and missile shells, spacecraft cabin skins and structural frames, main landing gear, lunar modules, etc. | ||||
| Shipbuilding and naval vessel manufacturing industry | High specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance in seawater and marine atmosphere | Pressure hulls, structural parts, buoyancy system spheres, pump bodies, pipelines and deck accessories for watercraft, speedboat propellers, propeller shafts, hydrofoils of hydrofoils, whip antennas, etc. | ||||
| Chemical industry, petroleum industry | It has good corrosion resistance in oxidizing and neutral media, and its corrosion resistance can also be improved by alloying in reducing media. | In the petrochemical, fertilizer, acid and alkali, sodium, chlorine and seawater desalination industries, it can be used as heat exchangers, reaction towers, distiller, scrubbers, synthesizers, autoclaves, valves, conduits, pumps, pipelines, etc. | ||||
| Other Industries | Conventional genuine manufacturing | Good corrosion resistance, low density | Gun tail frame, mortar base plate, rocket launcher barrel and chamber, nozzle, gun sleeve, tank wheels and tracks, torsion bar, tank drive shaft, armor plate, etc. | |||
| Metallurgical Industry | High chemical activity and good corrosion resistance | It is used as corrosion-resistant material in the smelting of non-ferrous metals such as nickel, cobalt, and titanium, and is a good deoxidizer and alloying element in steel smelting. | ||||
| Other Industries | Healthcare | It has excellent corrosion resistance to human body fluids, is non-toxic, and has good affinity with muscle tissue. | Medical equipment and surgical orthopedic materials, titanium teeth, heart valves, diaphragms, bone joints and fixing screws, titanium bones, etc. | |||
| Ultra-high vacuum | It has high chemical activity and can absorb oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, CO, CO2, methane and other gases | Titanium Ion Pump | ||||
| Electroplating Industry | Corrosion resistance, long life, fast heat transfer, good heating effect, no pollution to the product, can improve labor productivity and reduce maintenance costs | Nickel plating, chromium plating (except fluoride chromium plating), acid and cyanide copper plating, ferric chloride copper plate corrosion as heater, electroplating tank, net basket, hanger, thin film evaporator, etc. | ||||
| Power Station | High corrosion resistance, low density, light weight, good comprehensive mechanical properties and process performance, high thermal stability, small linear expansion coefficient | All-titanium condensers, condensers, tube sheets, cold oil pipes, steam turbine blades, etc. | ||||
| Mechanical Instruments | Precision balance beams, watch cases, optical instruments, etc. | |||||
| Textile Industry | Corrosion-resistant parts and components in bleaching machines and bleaching tanks | |||||
| Paper Industry | Pumps, valves, pipes, fans, agitators, etc. | |||||
| Pharmaceutical Industry | Feeder, heater, separator, reaction tank, agitator, filter press, discharge pipe, etc. | |||||
| Sporting Goods | Model airplanes, badminton rackets, mountain climbing equipment, fishing rods, swords, all-titanium racing cars, etc. | |||||
| Arts and Crafts | Titanium plate paintings, pen holders, inkstones, walking sticks, brooches, etc. | |||||
Ti-6Al-4V Processing Techniques
The processing methods of titanium alloy parts mainly include:
Cutting: CNC milling, turning and other methods are used, which are suitable for large batches of parts.
Welding: Commonly used welding methods include tungsten inert gas welding and laser welding, which are suitable for manufacturing complex structures.
Forging: Enhance the mechanical properties of the material through high-temperature heating and pressure forming.
Casting: Use molten titanium alloy to cool and form in a mold, which is suitable for producing parts with complex shapes.
3D printing: Additive manufacturing technology is used to produce complex and lightweight parts.
Metal injection molding (MIM): Used for batch production of small parts with complex shapes to improve processing accuracy and surface quality.
These processing methods have their own advantages, and the specific requirements and production costs of the parts need to be considered when choosing.