Applications of titanium alloy in aerospace

The application of titanium alloy in the aviation industry is divided into aircraft structure titanium alloy and engine structure titanium alloy. Aerospace, titanium alloy is mainly used as rocket, missile and spacecraft structure, container manufacturing materials. The service temperature of titanium alloy of aircraft structure is generally below 350℃, and it is required to have high specific strength, good toughness, excellent fatigue resistance and good welding process performance. Titanium alloy for engine is required to have high specific strength, good thermal stability, oxidation resistance, creep resistance and other properties. In addition to the performance requirements of aerospace titanium alloy, space vehicles are also required to be able to withstand high temperature and radiation.

In aero engine, titanium alloy materials are applied in compressor disc, blade, drum, high pressure compressor rotor, compressor casing, etc. About 30 percent of the weight of modern turbine engines is made of titanium alloy, which reduces the mass of compressor blades and fan blades, and also extends the life of components and inspection intervals. The leading edge and tip of the fan blades on the Boeing 747-8GENX engines, which have titanium sleeves, have been replaced only three times during their 10-year service life.

Aerospace titanium alloy forgings need to go through the process of ingot casting, billet making, die forging, machine adding, etc., to obtain the required material structure and properties, which are often used to manufacture aircraft skeleton main load bearing members and engine rotors.

Space vehicles work under extreme conditions such as ultra-high temperature, ultra-low temperature, high vacuum, high stress, strong corrosion, etc. In addition to the need for superb structural design technology, they also rely on the excellent characteristics and functions of materials. Titanium alloy has been used in fuel storage tank, rocket engine shell, rocket nozzle conduit, satellite shell and so on.

Because of its excellent performance, some key parts of aircraft are also made of titanium alloy material. For example, the inlet lip is made of titanium alloy by 3D printing, which realizes integrated design and manufacturing of structural and functional parts.