The development trend of aviation titanium alloys

With the rapid development of aviation technology and in the face of the constantly increasing requirements for national defense construction, the new generation of aircraft must meet the demands of ultra-high speed, high altitude, long flight duration and ultra-long range. To enhance the reliability of aircraft, advanced aircraft and engines are increasingly using high-performance materials such as titanium alloys, and their structures are becoming more and more complex. Therefore, aviation titanium alloys will develop in the direction of low cost and high performance, while continuously conducting independent research and development of new grades and the development of new processes.

Strengthen the research on low-cost aviation titanium alloys
The aviation industry places greater emphasis on the balance between performance and cost in material requirements, no longer blindly pursuing high performance. Low-cost will run through the entire product life cycle, including material selection, structural design, manufacturing process, inspection and evaluation, as well as maintenance. Reducing the cost of titanium alloys has become an inevitable trend in the industry's development. Replacing expensive elements such as Nb, Mo and V with common Fe elements, and vigorously developing near-net-shape forming technology will become two key directions for reducing the engineering application cost of aviation titanium alloys.

Strengthen the research on high-performance aviation titanium alloys
Although titanium alloys have excellent comprehensive properties, the existing aviation titanium alloys still cannot fully meet the requirements of the aviation field for high-performance materials. At present, the actual long-term use of high-temperature titanium alloys is difficult to exceed 600℃. The research on aviation titanium alloys above 600℃ is still in the experimental and pilot-scale stage, and there is still a long way to go before large-scale development and application. In addition, the batch stability research and application of flame-retardant titanium alloys, high-strength, high-toughness and damage-tolerant titanium alloys have become the focus of attention for many scholars. In the future, research on high-performance aviation titanium alloys will tend to focus on in-depth exploration of existing alloys and the development of new grades of alloys.

Strengthen the application of additive manufacturing in aviation titanium alloys
With the development and application of additive manufacturing technology in recent years, laser additive manufacturing of titanium alloys has overcome the shortcomings of traditional technologies such as the difficulty in producing complex titanium alloy components and the large cold working deformation resistance of titanium alloys. It provides a new technical approach for the manufacturing of large integral structural components, and it has mechanical properties comparable to forgings. Beihang University has successfully developed a titanium alloy reinforcing frame for a certain engine (of a certain large bomber). The research and application of additive manufacturing technology for aviation titanium alloys will open up a new advanced manufacturing approach for the processing and forming of aviation titanium alloys.