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TITANIUM

Titanium and titanium alloys are considered to be the wonder materials of the 21^st century and India is blessed with large quantities of titanium ore. Ironically, after the December 2004 tsunami 40m tonnes of this ore (‘black sand’) was deposited on the Bay of Bengal coast.

Titanium is lighter than steel but heavier than aluminium. On the other hand, its stiffness (proportional to Young’s Modulus) is greater than aluminium but less than steel. Its strength is comparable to high tensile steel and it is far stronger than aluminium.

However, the two critical properties which make titanium and titanium alloys unique as engineering metals are their non-rusting attributes (like aluminium) and their strength retention at high temperatures (like steel).

By virtue of the above, titanium alloys are ideal for aircraft engines and similar high-tech applications such as rockets etc.. Alternatively, due to its lightness and non-toxicity, titanium can even be used for hip-joint replacements.

Regrettably, India has not yet caught on to this potential. Much of India’s titanium resources are used to make pigments for white paint since unlike lead-based paints these do not yellow due to air pollution. Another use is the manufacture of TiO2 for welding rods for low-strength mild steel.

Therefore, this valuable resource should be given more attention. This may happen as the aircraft industry takes off, though at the moment the demand for medical uses is of more immediate interest.