Recent Titanium Developments in the USA

摘要

Much research and development of titanium alloys, products, processes and applications has taken place in the USA during the four year period since the 9th World Conference on Titanium in 1999 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Several new alloys and processes with unique chemical and physical properties and microstructural characteristics have been developed and patented. New military programs utilizing titanium armor plate and advanced aerospace components are underway. Advanced processes in cold hearth melting, casting, welding, ore reduction, powder metallurgy and cold and hot forming are being developed and scaled up. Emerging applications such as automotive, architecture, consumer products, oil and gas exploration, and biomedical implants continue to develop and grow in importance. Computer modeling and simulation of solidification structures, thermomechanical processing and microstructural evolution is underway and is being refined. Analytical techniques to characterize chemical composition, microstructure, crystallographic texture and defects are being improved continuously to understand the complex nature of certain titanium alloys. Many of these recent developments and innovations in titanium will be reviewed in this paper.