TPi September 2018

Products & developments

Industrial applications for titanium tubing Brian Mercer – director, tube products and international sales and marketing for Ametek Specialty Metal Products – presented a paper entitled ‘Industrial Applications for Titanium Tubing’ at the Titanium Europe Conference 2018, held in Seville, Spain, in May.

profile. Convincing the customer that a supplier can deliver that solu- tion requires support- ive technical marketing data that explains how that supplier can apply the needed processes. These include condition- ing, welding, machining, and polishing to convert the raw material – a spe- cific grade of titanium/ titanium alloy – into a product that will meet the most chal- lenging engineering applications. Fine Tubes and Superior Tube, its USA-based sister business, have successfully made that case. Significant growth rates in the demand for titanium tubing are projected across an array of markets. Without further investment in the industry’s capability, capacity constraints could lead to unacceptable lead times. Improvements in nickel-based superalloys could challenge titanium’s inherent advantages too. Fine Tubes – UK sales.finetubes@ametek.com www.finetubes.com Brian Mercer

Representing Fine Tubes, a UK-based unit of Ametek, Mr Mercer highlighted the business’s expertise in the manufacture of high-precision, high-performance titanium alloy tubes for critical applications. Fine Tubes seamless titanium tubes are used in aircraft hydraulic systems and chemical processing plants, and for offshore drilling rig components, marine and subsea equipment, and medical implants. Fine Tubes also is a member of the International Titanium Association (ITA), the organising body of the Titanium Europe Conference. Looking at titanium in comparison to other metals, the following characteristics make it attractive to multiple industries: · It is only 60 per cent as dense as steel-based and nickel- based alloys · In alloyed form, its tensile strength is greater than that of austenitic or ferritic stainless steels · It is exceptionally corrosion resistant, exceeding the resistance of stainless steels in most environments · It is non-magnetic · It has excellent heat transfer properties, with a melting point higher than steel alloys · It is cold workable It should be no surprise, therefore, that titanium is cost effective across a wide range of applications. As a niche, high-specification manufacturer, Fine Tubes produces straight and seamless tubes in Ti CP (commercially pure), Grades 1 and 2, and Grades 5 and 9 alloys, Ti 6Al/4V, and Ti 3Al/2.5V respectively. Ti 3AI/2.5V alloy is a near alpha, alpha-beta alloy, sometimes referred to as “half-6-4.” It offers 20 to 50 per cent higher tensile strength than CP titanium at room and elevated temperatures and is more amenable to cold working than Ti 6AI/4V. It is also as heat treatable and weldable as the CP grades, with excellent resistance to torsion and corrosion. With those advantages, Ti 3Al/2.5V is used extensively for tubing in aircraft hydraulic systems and as foil in aircraft honeycomb panels. Other applications include medical and dental implants and sports equipment. Ti 6Al/4V is the most widely used of all the alpha-beta titanium alloys, accounting for more than 50 per cent of total titanium usage. The alloy is typically used in the annealed condition, at service temperatures up to 400°C (750°F). Significantly stronger than CP titanium, Ti 6Al/4V has the same stiffness and thermal properties, excluding thermal conductivity, and is similarly heat treatable. It is typically used in military aircraft engines, turbines, offshore drilling equipment and surgical implants. From an engineering viewpoint, titanium’s physical charac- teristics, such as strength-to-weight ratio, biocompatibility, Young’s modulus (or stiffness) and corrosion resistance, often make it an obvious choice. However, customers generally look for a solution to a specific problem, rather than a metallurgical

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September 2018 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL