01, titanium alloy industry overview

Although titanium alloy has excellent performance, it is very difficult to process. When the Brinell hardness is less than 300, the sticking knife is serious. When it is greater than 370, too hard processing is difficult, and most titanium alloys have low thermal conductivity, the heat generated in the processing process will not be quickly transferred to the workpiece, but concentrated in the cutting area, on the one hand will make the tool wear rapidly, on the other hand will destroy the surface integrity of the parts, resulting in the geometric accuracy of parts decline and work hardening phenomenon.

In particular, specific types of military titanium materials generally require multiple plastic processing, and how to ensure the uniformity and stability of quality to achieve industrial mass production is a technical challenge in the world.

At present, only the United States, Russia, Japan, China, and the former CIS (Ukraine and Kazakhstan) five countries and regions in the world have mastered the complete titanium processing and manufacturing process, and the world is showing a situation of five strong competition.

In terms of classification, titanium alloy can be mainly divided into industrial pure titanium, α titanium alloy, β titanium alloy and α+β titanium alloy, according to different uses to make different structures, in aviation, chemical and metallurgical industries are widely used.

02, the definition and classification of titanium alloy

Titanium alloy refers to titanium as a matrix, adding one or more alloying elements, through smelting or powder metallurgy and other methods made of alloy. According to the type and content of alloying elements, titanium alloys can be divided into the following categories:

1, α type titanium alloy: mainly contains stable α phase elements, such as aluminum, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc., has good creep resistance and low temperature toughness, but the strength is low, suitable for 150~350℃ temperature range.

2, β type titanium alloy: mainly contains stable β phase elements, such as molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, chromium, etc., with high strength and high plasticity, can be adjusted by heat treatment process to obtain different structures and properties, suitable for 350~550℃ temperature range.

3, α+β titanium alloy: at the same time contains stable α phase and β phase elements, is the most commonly used class of titanium alloy, with high strength and toughness, can be controlled by the proportion and distribution of α phase and β phase to adjust the performance, suitable for -250~500℃ temperature range.

4, near β type titanium alloy: contains a small amount of stable α phase elements, mainly composed of β phase, with high strength and high ductility, can be obtained by aging treatment of high strength and toughness, suitable for 150~600℃ temperature range.

03, titanium alloy application field

Titanium alloys are widely used in various fields because of their excellent physical and chemical properties. According to different application needs, titanium alloy can be made into various forms, such as sheet, bar, pipe, wire, castings, forgings, powder and so on. The following are the main applications of titanium alloys in different fields:

1, aerospace: aerospace is one of the most important application areas of titanium alloy, accounting for more than 50% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in aircraft fuselage structural parts, engine parts, landing gear parts, etc., and is mainly used in spacecraft rocket engine parts, satellite structural parts, etc. Because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and high temperature resistance, titanium alloys play an important role in improving flight speed and efficiency.

2, National defense military industry: National defense military industry is another important application field of titanium alloy, accounting for about 15% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in the defense industry for missile components, tank armor, submarine shells, etc., and plays an important role in improving the performance and reliability of weapons and equipment.

3, medical devices: Medical devices are an emerging application field of titanium alloy, accounting for about 5% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in medical devices for artificial joints, dental implants, surgical instruments, etc., which plays an important role in improving biocompatibility and antibacterial properties.

4, other industries: Titanium alloys are also widely used in other industrial fields, accounting for about 30% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in other industries for chemical equipment, petroleum equipment, power equipment, automotive parts, etc., which plays an important role in improving corrosion resistance and wear resistance.

04, titanium industry chain analysis

The industrial chain of titanium alloy mainly includes the following links:

1, titanium resources mining: titanium resources refers to the minerals or rocks containing titanium elements, mainly rutile, ruthenite and ilmenite. China is one of the countries with the richest titanium resources in the world, with about 20% of the global reserves, but most of them are low-grade calcium-magnesium ilmenite, which is difficult to exploit and has a low utilization rate.

2, titanium concentrate smelting: titanium concentrate refers to after mineral processing or chemical treatment, containing a higher proportion of titanium substances, mainly rutile concentrate and ruthenium iron ore concentrate. After smelting titanium concentrate, products such as titanium sponge or titanium dioxide can be obtained. Sponge titanium refers to the reduction of metal titanium from its oxide through chlorination or electrolysis, forming a sponge-like substance, which is the basic raw material for the manufacture of titanium alloys. Titanium dioxide refers to the sulfuric acid method or chlorination method, the metal titanium is separated from its oxide, forming a white powder-like substance, is the basic raw material for the manufacture of titanium dioxide.

3, titanium dioxide production: titanium dioxide refers to titanium dioxide as the main component of the white pigment, with high hiding power, high refractive index and high weather resistance and other characteristics, widely used in coatings, plastics, ink, paper and other industries. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of titanium dioxide, with output reaching 3.51 million tons in 2020, accounting for more than 40% of the global total.

4, titanium alloy production: Titanium alloy refers to the sponge titanium matrix, adding one or more alloying elements, through smelting or powder metallurgy and other methods made of alloy. According to different processing methods, titanium alloys can be divided into ingot, forging, plate, bar, pipe, wire and other forms. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of titanium sponge, with production reaching 125,000 tons in 2020, accounting for more than 30% of the global total.

5, titanium alloy application: Titanium alloy after processing, can be used in various fields. According to different application needs, titanium alloys can be made into various parts or equipment, such as aircraft structural parts, engine parts, missile parts, artificial joints, dental implants, surgical instruments, etc., which plays an important role in improving biocompatibility and antibacterial properties.

6, other industries: Titanium alloys are also widely used in other industrial fields, accounting for about 30% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in other industries for chemical equipment, petroleum equipment, power equipment, automotive parts, etc., which plays an important role in improving corrosion resistance and wear resistance.

05, titanium industry chain analysis

The market size of titanium alloy mainly depends on the demand and development of its application field. According to the "2023 Global Titanium Alloy Market Report", the global titanium alloy market size reached 22.3 billion US dollars in 2020, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% from 2021 to 2026, and will reach 32.5 billion US dollars by 2026. The following is the market size and growth rate of titanium alloys in different application fields:

1, aerospace: aerospace is the largest application market for titanium alloys, accounting for 55% of the global titanium alloy market size, reaching $12.2 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2% from 2021 to 2026, and will reach $18.4 billion by 2026. The demand for titanium alloy in the aerospace field is mainly affected by the development of global civil aviation and military aviation, and with the development and use of a new generation of aircraft, as well as changes in the international security situation, the demand for titanium alloy will continue to grow.

2, defense military industry: defense military industry is the second largest application market for titanium alloy, accounting for 15% of the global titanium alloy market size, reaching 3.3 billion US dollars in 2020, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% from 2021 to 2026, and will reach 4.6 billion US dollars by 2026. The demand for titanium alloy in the field of national defense is mainly affected by global military competition and geopolitics, and with the development and upgrading of new weapons and equipment, as well as the intensification of international conflicts and tensions, the demand for titanium alloy will continue to grow.

3, medical devices: Medical devices are the fastest growing application market for titanium alloys, accounting for 10% of the global titanium alloy market size, reaching $2.2 billion in 2020, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% from 2021 to 2026, and will reach $3.7 billion by 2026. The demand for titanium alloy in the field of medical devices is mainly affected by the aging of the global population and the improvement of medical standards, and with the pursuit of health and quality of life, as well as the innovation and popularization of medical technology and equipment, the demand for titanium alloy will continue to grow.

4. Other industries: Other industries are smaller but stable application markets for titanium alloys, accounting for 20% of the global titanium alloy market size, reaching $4.5 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% from 2021 to 2026, reaching $5.7 billion by 2026. The demand for titanium alloy in other industrial areas is mainly affected by the development of global chemical, petroleum, electric power, automotive and other industries, and with the technological progress and environmental protection requirements of these industries, the demand for titanium alloy will continue to grow.

06, titanium alloy development trend analysis

The development trend of titanium alloys is mainly influenced by the demand and innovation in their application fields. According to the Global Titanium Alloy Market Report 2023, the following are the future development trends of titanium alloys:

The application field of titanium alloy will continue to expand and deepen, especially in medical devices and other industrial fields, there will be more new products and new equipment, and higher requirements for the performance and quality of titanium alloy.

Titanium alloy technological innovation will continue to advance and breakthrough, especially in the new alloy materials and new processing methods, there will be more new products and new equipment, to provide more optimization and improvement of the performance and quality of titanium alloy.

The industrial chain of titanium alloy will continue to integrate and optimize, especially in resource mining and concentrate smelting, there will be more transnational cooperation and regional coordination, providing more reduction and improvement in the cost and efficiency of titanium alloy.

In short, titanium alloy is a strategic material with high strength, low density, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and other excellent properties, and has a wide range of important applications in aerospace, national defense, military, medical equipment and other fields. The analysis of the development status of China's titanium alloy industry in 2023 shows that the titanium alloy industry has huge development potential and market space, but it also faces some challenges and problems, and it is necessary to further strengthen technological innovation and industrial collaboration, improve the quality and efficiency of titanium alloys, reduce the cost and environmental impact of titanium alloys, and meet the needs and standards of different fields. Enhance the international competitiveness and influence of titanium alloy.