Titanium Alloys

Titanium alloys have excellent specific strength and constitute approximately 25% by weight of gas turbine engines. For decades, Ti-6Al-4V (wt.%) has been the mainstay of the aerospace sector, as a result of the good balance of properties that can be achieved, alongside its relatively low density. This combination of properties has seen it used extensively across many different parts of an aeroengine, including in rotative parts and as part of the containment system. However, future designs require alloys that have superior performance, to enable a reduction in section thicknesses and, correspondinly, in engine weight. Consequently, there is now a need to develop alloys with properties that are directly tailored to the specific application rather than continuing to exploit the all-round abilities of Ti-6Al-4V.