Do you know? Titanium alloys cost $200 per kilogram, while military titanium alloys cost between $500 and $1000. So what element is titanium anyway? Why is it so expensive when alloyed?
First, let's understand where titanium comes from. Titanium is mainly from ilmenite, rutile and chalcocite, itself is a silver-white metal, due to the nature of titanium is active, the smelting process requires a high degree of people for a long time can not make a large amount of titanium, so it is also categorized as "rare" metal.
In fact, mankind in 1791 on the discovery of titanium, but the first production of pure titanium is in 1910 in the middle of more than a hundred years. The main reason lies in the nature of titanium at high temperatures is very active, easy and oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and other elements, to refine the pure titanium need very harsh conditions. However, China's titanium production from 200 tons in the last century has developed to 150,000 tons, currently ranks first in the world. So, titanium is so expensive mainly used in what place?
1, titanium crafts, titanium density and specific gravity, corrosion resistance, especially oxidation color, with excellent decorative effect, and the price is much cheaper than real gold, so it will be used to replace the real gold, used in craft ceramics, antique buildings and ancient buildings repair, outdoor plaques and plaques.
2, titanium jewelry, titanium has actually crept into our lives. Now girls wear some pure titanium as raw materials for jewelry, this new type of jewelry is characterized by health, safety and environmental protection, will not produce harmful substances on human skin and body, known as "green jewelry".
3, titanium glasses, titanium resistance to deformation than the ability of steel, but the weight is only half of the same volume of steel. Titanium eyeglasses and general metal eyeglasses do not look any different, but in fact, lightweight and comfortable, warm and smooth touch, without the cold feeling of other metal eyeglasses. Titanium frames are much lighter than normal metal frames, and they will not be deformed in long-term use, and the quality is more guaranteed.
4, aerospace field, now the aircraft carriers, rockets, missiles on a lot of steel have been replaced with titanium alloy. Some people have done cutting experiments with steel plates and titanium alloys, also because of its resistance to deformation as well as light weight. In the cutting process found that titanium sparks seem to be a little different, the steel plate is golden, titanium alloy sparks are white. This is mainly due to the small particles produced by titanium during the cutting process. It can spontaneously combust in the air and emit bright sparks, and the temperature of these sparks is much higher than that of steel plate sparks, so titanium powder is also used as rocket fuel.
According to statistics, there are already more than 1,000 tons of titanium used for navigation in the world every year. In addition to being used as a space material, titanium is also used to make submarines. There have been people to sink titanium to the bottom of the sea, five years after taking out and found that there is no rust, because the density of titanium is only 4.5 grams per cubic centimeter of strength can be located in the first of the metal can withstand 2500 atmospheric pressure. Therefore, titanium submarines can navigate in the deep sea at a depth of 4,500 meters, while the general steel submarines dive up to 300 meters.
Titanium applications are colorful, titanium alloy in the medical use is also very wide, in dentistry, orthopedics, heart valves, medical devices and other aspects of the application. However, the price of titanium products on the market is generally high, which makes many consumers shy away. So, what exactly is the reason for this situation?
First, the mining and utilization of titanium resources is very difficult. China's titanium iron ore mines are scattered, and the concentration of titanium resources is low. After years of mining and use, the current has been mined good quality, large-scale resources, but because the development of the development of mostly civilian mining, it is difficult to form a large-scale development and utilization.
Second, the demand for titanium material is very strong. Titanium, as a new type of metal material, has been widely used in aerospace, construction, marine, nuclear energy and electric power and other fields. With the continuous improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, the consumption of titanium material also shows a trend of rapid growth.
Third, titanium material production capacity is insufficient. At present, only a few industrialized countries in the world are capable of titanium production.
Fourth, the processing of titanium material is difficult.
1, from titanium sponge to titanium ingot, and then to titanium plate, need to go through dozens of processes. Titanium melting process is different from steel, need to control the melting speed, voltage and current, and to ensure the stability of the composition. Due to the numerous and complex processes, it is also difficult to process.
2. Pure titanium has a soft texture and is generally not suitable for use as a titanium product. Therefore, it is necessary to add other elements to improve the performance of the metal. For example, titanium-64, commonly used in the aerospace industry, requires the addition of a large number of other elements to improve its metal properties.
3. Titanium reacts strongly with halogens, oxygen, sulfur, carbon, nitrogen and other elements at high temperatures. Therefore, titanium melting needs to be carried out under vacuum or inert atmosphere to avoid contamination.
4, Titanium is a lively metal, but its thermal conductivity is poor, resulting in greater difficulty in welding with other materials.
In summary, there are many factors affecting the price of titanium alloy, including cultural value, demand, production difficulty and so on. However, with the continuous development of science and technology, the difficulty of production may be gradually reduced in the future.
