There are many grades of titanium and titanium alloys, including industrial pure titanium TA1, TA2, TA3, TA4, American standard Gr1, Gr2, Gr3, Gr4, titanium alloy TA9, TA9-1, TA10, TC4, American standard Gr7, Gr11, Gr5, Gr23, Gr12, Ti 5Al-2.5Sn, etc. The performance of different grades of titanium alloys may vary greatly. How to choose the appropriate grade for industrial use of titanium alloys? What are the differences and applicable scenarios of these grades?
Industrial pure titanium Gr1
Gr1 titanium is the first of the four industrial pure titanium grades. It is the softest and most ductile of these grades. It has the greatest formability, excellent corrosion resistance and high impact toughness.
Due to all of these qualities, gr1 is the material of choice for any application that requires easy formability and is commonly available as titanium sheet and tube. These include:
Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing
Dimensionally stable anodes
Desalination
Construction
Medical industry
Marine industry
Automotive components
Fuselage structures
Gr2 Grade
Gr2 grade titanium is known as the "workhorse" of the commercially pure titanium industry due to its diverse availability and wide availability. It shares many of the same qualities as Gr1 grade titanium alloy, but is slightly stronger. Both are equally corrosion resistant.
This grade has good weldability, strength, ductility, and formability. This makes TA2 grade titanium rod and sheet the first choice for many applications:
Construction
Power generation
Medical industry
Water carbon processing
Marine industry
Exhaust pipe shrouds
Fuselage skins
Desalination
Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing
Gr3 Grade
This grade is the least used of the commercially pure titanium grades, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. Grade Gr3 is stronger than grades Gr1 and Gr2, with similar ductility and only slight formability - but it has higher mechanical properties than its predecessors.
Grade Gr3 is used in applications requiring moderate strength and major corrosion resistance. These include:
Aerospace structures
Chemical processing
Medical industry
Marine industry
Gr4 Grade
Gr4 is considered the strongest of the four commercially pure titanium grades. It is also known for its excellent corrosion resistance, good formability, and weldability. While it is commonly used in the following industrial applications, more recently Grade 4 has found a niche as medical grade titanium. It is needed in applications where high strength is required:
Airframe components
Cryogenic vessels
Heat exchangers
CPI equipment
Condenser tubes
Surgical hardware
Pickling baskets
Titanium alloys
Gr7 Grade
Grade TA9 is mechanically and physically equivalent to Grade TA2, except for the addition of the interstitial element palladium, making it an alloy. Grade 7 has excellent weld ability and properties and is the most corrosion resistant of all titanium alloys. In fact, it is the most corrosion resistant in reducing acids.
Grade GR7 is used for chemical process and production equipment components.
Gr7 has extremely strong corrosion resistance, especially in reducing acidic environments.
Gr11 Grade
Grade Gr11 is very similar to grade gr1, except that a small amount of palladium is added to enhance corrosion resistance to make it an alloy. This corrosion resistance can be used to prevent crevice corrosion and reduce acids in chloride environments.
Other useful properties include optimal ductility, cold form ability, useful strength, impact toughness and excellent weld ability. The alloy can be used in the same titanium applications as grade 1, especially where corrosion resistance is required, such as:
Chemical processing
Chlorate manufacturing
Desalination
Marine applications
Gr5 Grade
Referred to as the "workhorse" of titanium alloys, grade 5 titanium is the most commonly used of all titanium alloys. It accounts for 50% of the total titanium used worldwide.
Its availability lies in its many benefits. Ti 6Al-4V can be heat treated to increase its strength. It can be used in welded structures at service temperatures up to 600°F. The alloy has high strength with light weight, useful formability, and high corrosion resistance.
The availability of Ti 6AI-4V makes it the best alloy for use in multiple industries such as aerospace, medical, marine, and chemical processing industries. It can be used to create the following technical content:
Aircraft turbines
Engine components
Aircraft structural components
Aerospace fasteners
High-performance automotive parts
Marine applications
Sports equipment
Gr23 grade
Gr23 ELI grade is a higher purity form of Ti 6Al-4V. It can be made into coils, strands, wires, or flat wires. It is the first choice for any situation where high strength, light weight, good corrosion resistance, and high toughness are required. It has excellent damage tolerance to other alloys.
These advantages make Gr23 ELI grade the ultimate dental and medical titanium grade. It can be used in biomedical applications such as implantable components due to its biocompatibility, good fatigue strength, and low modulus. It is also used in detailed surgical applications such as:
Orthopedic pins and screws
Orthopedic cables
Ligature clips
Surgical implants
Orthodontic appliances
In joint replacements
Cryogenic containers
Bone fixation devices
Gr12 Grade
Gr12 grade titanium is given an "excellent" grade because of its high quality weldability. It is a highly durable alloy that offers great strength at elevated temperatures. Gr12 grade titanium has properties similar to 300 series stainless steels.
The alloy can be hot or cold formed using press forming, hydroforming, stretch forming, or drop hammer processes. Its ability to be formed in a variety of ways makes it useful in many applications. The high corrosion resistance of this alloy also makes it invaluable to those fabricating equipment where crevice corrosion is a concern. Gr12 grade can be used in the following industries and applications:
Shells and heat exchangers
Hydrometallurgical applications
High temperature chemical manufacturing
Maritime and airliner components
Ti 5Al-2.5Sn
Ti 5Al-2.5Sn is a non-heat treatable alloy that is used to obtain good weldability and stability. It also has high temperature stability, high strength, good corrosion resistance and good creep resistance. Creep refers to the phenomenon of plastic strain occurring at high temperatures for a long time.
Ti 5Al-2.5Sn is mainly used in aircraft and airframe applications and cryogenic applications.