Does titanium have any special properties which aer only to titanium?

Question

I would be interested in finding out any properties which titanium holds over other metals which is only for titanium. I am trying to make a new type of tennis raquet and believe that titanium or an alloy may be the answer?

Would Titanium have something specifically better with using it say against Aluminium? Maybe something that people only would know when they have used Titanium metal.

Also where would I find out what alloys of titanium I could use?

Answer 1

I'm a metallurgist, and sorry to burst your bubble.

I've made many components from titanium, even some similar to tennis rackets.

Titanium has two specific areas where it surpasses all other metals: corrosion resistance (in certain environments), and tensile strength to density ratio in the range of temperatures between 500°F and about 800°F (such as jet engine compressor blades).

So, unless your racket needs superior corrosion resistance to aluminum (it doesn't), or the racket will be operating above 500°F (it won't), you will be able to make a superior racket from aluminum.

Aluminum has a higher strength to density ratio than titanium (if you pick the strongest aluminum alloy). You can look this up, but I'm saving you the time.

There are two general classes of titanium: alloyed and unalloyed (or Commercially Pure (CP)). CP titanium forms readily, but isn't the strongest alloy (it may bend if you hit the racket hard enough). The titanium alloys are stronger and resist bending, but this creates a problem: how are YOU going to form the racket?

The answer is: alloyed titaniums can be formed at high temperatures (above about 1600°F). Obviously, this is going to increase the cost - so you really need to think through how many of these very expensive rackets you can sell.

If you want to try out what I'm saying, call up your local welding shop (you'll need a good one), and as for two types of TIG welding rods in the same diameter (ask for 1/8" diameter): one unalloyed (CP) rod, and one alloyed rod (probably they have 6Al 4V titanium rods). They won't cost very much; just take them and bend them in your hands. You'll see that the CP rod is fairly soft - maybe too soft for a racket? The alloyed rod is harder to bend.

Then you have to get down to the design: Do you make the racket solid or hollow? How to fabricate the handle and frame, etc. Do you weld them together? Welding titanium is an art because you need to make fixtures to provide complete inert gas shielding, etc. etc. etc.

What this is all coming down to: yes, you CAN make the racket, but it is going to be extremely expensive, and honestly won't be as strong as an aluminum racket. Remember that titanium excels in corrosion resistance and medium temperature tensile strength, neither of which you are taking advantage of.

OK, so now that has all been said, titanium is a really cool material: can you market it? I'm going to take a guess, it would cost (all told) about $40,000 USD to make your first racket, and each copy could be made for about, oh, say, ~$2000 USD in quantity 10. You'd need to mark it up to about $4000 for retail, but if you've got a lot of Donald Trump customers, it is certainly doable.

If you're in this class, look into super-plastic forming/diffusion bonding - it would lower your cost if you can sell in the 20-50 unit range. There is a shop in San Diego, CA that takes on this kind of work commercially. You can make a completely hollow racket in alloyed titanium with this technology for very light weight, (even lighter than solid aluminum) but it is going to cost some $$. It only makes economic sense if you can sell some rackets to rich customers that are looking for the exotic.

If you decide to look into aluminum, try 7075 alloy. It is the strongest, but is not weldable, and doesn't anodize as well as some of the other alloys.

Keep in mind you're going to have marketing costs, unless you've already got your customers identified.

The key customers for titanium are chemical process companies (that are processing nitric acid for example, and need excellent corrosion resistance), jet engine manufactures (for the compressor blades that operate in those mid-range temperatures), and the military where they need the ultimate in power to weight (at any expense).

There is one more thing: titanium metal is not that expensive - it is approximately twice the cost of stainless steel; it is the unique and specialized forming processes that increase the cost.

Answer 2

Titanium is one of the commonest elements in the Earth's crust. The reason it's so expensive is that it requires large amounts of energy to smelt and, because it's so strong, it's hard to work with.Here in NZ we've been making steel from our ironsands with our cheap electricity for decades. The slag which is left over is rich in titanium. They were stockpiling it in the hope of finding a cheap way to extract the titanium. About two years ago, a cheap process was discovered. In the 1960s when the Brits and French were developing Concorde, America planned to make an even faster aircraft. It would have had to be made of titanium alloy, not aluminium, so they shelved the idea; it would have been too expensive. Titanium is light, strong, even at high temperatures, it doesn't corrode and it's non-toxic. Titanium alloy would be an ideal material to make a tennis racquet, apart from the expense of fabrication. It's used to make almost indestructible ice axes and other tools.

Answer 3

Titanium is highly corrosion resistant. Aluminum is similar in that aluminum forms an oxide coat; every time you scratch it, the aluminum oxidizes. Iron does the same thing, except it forms flakes, which peel and expose more iron to oxygen, causing it to scale and rust. Titanium and aluminum both form oxide coats.

However, aluminum is not as corrosion-resistant as titanium; 50 years in saltwater, and the aluminum will be long gone. The titanium will look like new. Aluminum is also amphoteric- it dissolves in acid AND in base; titanium reacts very slowly, if at all, to either.

Titanium has about 2x the strength of 6061-T6 aluminum, a commonly employed alloy of aluminum.

See also reference 1.

Answer 4

If you use Ti you are certainly not in the same price range as Al, so I think you need to compare Ti to Carbon fiber composites. Composites are anisotropic materials, which is an advantage in a tennis raquet, as you can place the fibers in the direction of the force . I would also guess that composites are better at dampening the vibrations from each stroke and will be more comfortable.

Answer 5

titanium isn't a very cheap material and it is limited to higher end sports consumers because of that ... most titanium you see is some alloy of Ti and aluminum. look at baseball bats, lacrosse and hockey sticks for alloys of titanium.

Ti vs Al : Al is cheaper but i think weaker and Ti is definitely lighter.

Answer 6

Titanium is very light and stiff. In comparison to other metals, it has more stiffness to weight. It also is corrosion resistant. You maybe be able to get more stiffness AND strength if you go with some sort of composite material however.

Titanium is very hard to machine and work with. You have to have special machinery. Keep that in mind as you work on your project!

Answer 7

Biggest advantage is that it is extremely heat resistant and dissipates heat extremely fast. You can hold titanium on one side and heat it up on the other side with a blow torch and you won't feel anything.