Titanium Grades for Commercially Pure Titanium and Alpha Beta Alloy

 

Titanium Processing Center
51513 Industrial Road
New Baltimore, MI 48047

Toll-free: 888.771.9449
Phone: 586.716.7555
Fax: 586.716.8430

Titanium Processing Center Texas Group
8601 Fawn Trail Bldg. #2
Conroe, TX 77385

Phone: 936-271-7773
Fax: 936-271-7783

 

About Grading Titanium

Titanium grading content below courtesy of Engineer's Handbook

The various Titanium Grades as defined by ASTM and ASME are numbered from 1 and upwards where all numbers except 6 and 8 are represented. Most of the grades are of alloyed type with various additions of for example aluminium, vanadium, nickel, ruthenium, molybdenum, chromium or zirconium for the purpose of improving and/or combining various mechanical characteristics, heat resistance, conductivity, microstructure, creep, ductility, corrosion resistance etc. etc.

Palladium (Pd) and ruthenium (Ru), Nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo) are elements which can be added to the pure titanium types in order to obtain a significant improvement of corrosion resistance particulary in slightly reducing environments where titanium otherwise might face some problems due to insufficient conditions for formation of the necessary protective oxidefilm on the metalsurface. The formation of a stable and substantially inert protective oxidefilm on the surface is otherwise the secret behind the extraordinary corrosion resistance of titanium.

The mechnical properties of commercially pure titanium are in fact controlled by "alloying" to various levels of oxygen and nitrogen to obtain strength levels varying between approximately 290 and 550 MPa. For higher strength levels alloying elements, e.g. Al and V have to be added. Ti3Al2,5V has a tensile strength of minimum 620MPa in annealed condition and minimum 860 MPa in the as cold worked and stress relieved condition. The CP-titanium grades are nominally all alpha in structure, whereas many of the titanium alloys have a two phase alpha + beta structure. There are also titanium alloys with high alloying additions having an entire beta phase structure. While alpha alloys cannot be heat treated to increase strength, the addition of 2,5% copper would result in a material which responds to solution treatment and ageing in a similar way to aluminium-copper.

Titanium Grades for Commercially Pure Titanium and Alpha Beta Alloy

Click a titanium grade to view its properties table.

COMMERCIALLY PURE TITANIUM

• ASTM GRADE 3: Unalloyed Ti ("Pure") 65A

ALPHA-BETA ALLOY TITANIUM

• ASTM GRADE 23: 6AL-4V ELI (EXTRA LOW INTERSTITIAL)

 

Titanium's Two Classifications Explained

Text courtesy of Titanium Art
Speedwell titanium bicycle picture courtesty of Classic Bike Shop

Titanium is classified in two categories: commercially pure titanium (Ti) which is used in the chemical process industries and titanium alloys having such additives as aluminum (Al) and vanadium (V) and which are used for jet aircraft engines, airframes and other components.

Unalloyed and alloyed titanium have been used in medical engineering for many years. The applications are varied and include the following:

• joint replacement parts for hip, knee, shoulder, spine, elbow and wrist,
• bone fixation materials such as nails, screws, nuts and plates,
• dental implants and parts for orthodontic surgery and dental prosthetics,
• heart pacemaker housings and artificial heart valves,
• surgical instruments for heart and eye surgery,
• components in high-speed blood centrifuges.

Titanium has long been considered an exotic metal. In recent years there has been a progressive change in its image from an expensive curiosity to material much more familiar to consumers as it finds more commercial applications such as eyeglass frames, sports equipment, accessories and art.