화학공학소재연구정보센터
Materials Science Forum, Vol.426-4, 643-648, 2003
Titanium airframe applications: Brief history, present applications and future trends
Titanium is an important structural material, which generally is used in increasing amounts with each new generation of aircraft. In the past this has been driven by the desire for increased performance. However, increased usage is becoming more and more difficult to justify as cost is playing an ever more prominent role in today's economy; each application must be justified premised on the added value to the customer who is becoming reluctant to pay more for advanced technology. Thus, in today's environment, increased R&D funding is directed toward reducing the cost of titanium components. A brief history of the evolution of the development of titanium for airframe applications, where and why titanium is used today, and perceived future trends will be discussed. This will include information on trends in alloy development, melting technologies, present and emerging fabrication technologies, and a brief discussion of some of the new techniques for producing low cost titanium.