Around 20% of titanium Slag is used in the titanium sponge making. Titanium metal and its alloys are increasingly used in various industries. The relatively high cost of titanium and its alloys are compensated by the high-performance characteristics of the metal; in some cases, titanium alloys are the only material from which a workable structure can be made.
Titanium alloys are increasingly being used to make airframes, whereas until recently aluminium alloys were dominant. The increase in flight speeds of aircraft led to an increase in the temperature of the shell, and, as a result, aluminium alloys no longer met the requirements imposed by aircraft at supersonic speeds.
The high anti-corrosion resistance of titanium determines its use in chemical engineering. Compressors and pumps are made from titanium for pumping aggressive media such as sulfuric and hydrochloric acid and their salts. Titanium valves for supplying aggressive liquids under a pressure of 2 kgf/mm2 operate for more than 1700 hours, while similar valves made of corrosion-resistant steel require replacement every 70 hours of operation.
Equipment for the chlorine industry is made from titanium, since it is the only corrosion-resistant material in environments of wet chlorine, aqueous and acidic chlorine solutions, as well as heat exchangers operating in corrosive environments, for example, in non-fuming nitric acid. In titanium heat exchangers operating in 65% nitric acid, the corrosion rate at 160°C is reduced by 60 times compared to the corrosion rate in heat exchangers made of corrosion-resistant steel, which makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the heat exchanger wall. The scale does not form on the surface of titanium. Therefore, the use of titanium heat exchangers is advisable, despite the low thermal conductivity of the latter. Due to their high corrosion resistance in seawater, titanium and its alloys are used in shipbuilding for the manufacture of propellers, and plating of sea vessels and submarines. Shells do not stick to titanium and its alloys. In the chemical and petrochemical industries, titanium is recommended for use in more than 130 aggressive environments. Titanium alloys are widely used for the manufacture of various types of medical instruments. A good combination of such qualities as corrosion resistance, biological inertness, strength, hardness and elasticity was found in the alloys VT5, VT6, and VT6S.
The areas of application of titanium are constantly expanding. Data on the use of titanium and its alloys in nuclear technology, electronics, production of desalination plants, and the automotive industry have been published.
It is expected that titanium alloys will find wide application in the light and food industries, and the production of household appliances.