August 2025 Volume 7

TITANIUM FORGINGS – COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL LANDSCAPE By FIA Staff MATERIALS

N o other metal is more closely associated with aerospace than titanium. With about half the density of steels or superalloys, titanium alloys yield an excellent strength to-weight ratio. The corrosion resistance of titanium and its alloys is excellent, and their abundance seemingly unlimited. However, the technology for the reduction of ore-to-metal is energy and cost intensive, and these are the prime reasons for their relatively high price. There have been strong efforts to increase the general industrial markets but most of the titanium produced goes into aerospace (see Figure 1).

production of titanium metal. The production of titanium, as with all metals, starts with ore. The most commercially relevant ores for titanium are ilmenite and rutile with ilmenite being much more common than rutile but having a lower titanium content, nevertheless ilmenite is the primary focus of modern titanium mining [1] . Being the most commercially relevant titanium ore, the largest producers of ilmenite are China, South Africa, Mozambique, Canada, and Australia respectively [2] . An image of ilmenite sand from Quebec, Canada is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Ilmenite Sand from Quebec, Canada [1] The next step in the production of titanium metal is the production of titanium sponge. Titanium sponge is typically produced by the Kroll process, shown in Figure 4 below, where titanium oxides are chlorinated to form titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) which is then reduced by magnesium metal to form titanium metal [1,3] . Other methods of refining titanium ores, such as alternate thermochemical processes and some electrochemical processes, have been explored but only limited adoption of other methods have occurred at this time [1,3] .

Figure 1: Titanium applications of the Western world by market sector [1] Over the years, the percentage of titanium parts in commercial aircraft structures has increased steadily and can be over 100,000 lbs. Typical airframe applications are high strength forgings for critical components like flap and slat tracks in wings, nacelles, engine pylons, spars, fuselage frames, tubing for hydraulic lines, fasteners, rivets, springs and beams or undercarriage parts. Most of the Ti alloys that go into the engine are almost exclusively forged. Titanium alloys make up approximately one third of the 8,000-19,000 lbs. of modern aeroengines. Initial applications date back to the 1950s when Titanium alloys paved the way for the first fan-type gas turbine engines. The large front fan of modern high-by-pass engines as well as most of the stator and rotor blades and the compressor discs with temperatures approaching 900°F are made of Titanium alloys, but also static components like compressor casings, fan frames, bearing housings or ducts and vanes.

Figure 2: Examples of Products Made from Titanium

Commercial Landscape of Ore Production The commercial landscape starts with understanding the

Figure 4: Flow Chart of the Kroll Process [4]

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