I have a 1953 Popular Mechanics magazine which has an extensive article about the element Ti. It features a lot of aerospace references to the use of it, and this is barely into double digits for the Jet Age. Remember that our original 'space program' arose out of the work the Germans did in liquid-propellant rocketry for the V2/A4 program, which itself arose from a USA rocket scientist, Robert Goddard, who started his research into liquid-propellant rockets around WW I! He was largely ignored, especially by the USA military. However, Germany was re-arming and ignoring the Treaty of Versailles, and they were reading all the published research Dr. Goddard did, and were using it to grow their own rocket program, which is where Wernher Von Braun was making progress on the first supersonic liquid-fueled rocket, which the Third Reich used to bomb London. At the end of the war, Operation Paperclip was a program to capture as-much German technology as-possible, and that included scientists like Dr. Von Braun. It was all shipped back to the USA, and the V2/A4 became the backbone of our space program for awhile.
Here is a pic (#1) of the liquid propelled rocket thrust vectoring vanes from one of Dr. Goddard's early rockets. Gyroscopes linked to those were used to provide control over flight paths. They and the nozzles through-which the ignited propellant exited the rocket engine would often burn-through, resulting in flight failure. A member of the Du Pont family supported Dr. Goddard's research between World Wars when he was mostly ignored by our government, though his work is the foundation of all liquid-fueled rocketry today.
Pic #2 is the German V1 'buzz-bomb,' a ramjet launched off a catapult track also using a gyroscope to guide it across the English Channel to throw a ton of high-explosive wherever the fuel ran-out. Behind it is a replica of the Vanguard, our first successful rocket to launch a satellite into orbit.
Pilots learned to destabilize the V1's by pulling alongside them in flight (they were unmanned) and using the pilot's wingtip under the stubby V1 wing, and then banking sharply to the opposite side, to throw the V1 into a spiral to the earth. This way they saved their ammo for targets which fought back, like Messerschmidt BF-109 and Focke-Wulf 190 fighters.
Pictures taken at the Washington DC Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and property of the author.
Pamkl, a German company, makes the F1 connecting rods for many manufacturers. The single nuts that hold-on F1 car wheels is a Ti part, and I read they cost $1700 apiece, and that was years-ago. I believe the F16 uses a Ti bulkhead in-front of-which sits the pilot, and behind of-which is the turbine. The wing roots are there too. I think I read it starts out as a billet, so I would suspect that's a seven-figure ($) single piece.
There is a bicycle company in TN named Litespeed. They manufacture Ti frames for road bikes, offroad ATB's, downhill bikes, time-trial bikes, you name-it. They also make frames for other manufacturers which then get their own nameplates, though Litespeed built it. I have a Litespeed road bike, now called the Classic, mine is one of the first frames they made. If you count to #20, you went too-far. It's very light. The two alloys most used are 3-2.5 and 6/4. Each alloy has its own attributes.
There is a 'cheap' Ti alloy, most of it comes from the former Soviet Union, called CP (Commercially-Pure). Ti is actually a very-common element, but to refine it and to get the alloy needed takes a lot of processing and energy. As-mentioned, to work it is also difficult, both for machining and for welding. I'm sure Sean could tell some stories about those processes. Tooling used to work it wears-out more-quickly.
Back in the 'glory-days' of motocross, when the BSA 441 had become a 500 cc single, and then eventually sold to a British company named CCM, John Banks, their star rider, was running a Ti frame. Suzuki also ran Ti frames, and it's rumored all the Japanese Big 4 experimented with them. Supposedly, bikes had to have ballast added to meet the class minimum weight.
I have a Ti watch, it needs no battery (Eco-Drive, 'powered by light'), it's a chronograph with a digital .001 second readout. It looks fairly big and bulky, but it's very light on your wrist. The faceplate looks like a KOSO literbike dash panel.
As to the benefits of lightening things up, it's very expensive to switch to Ti, unless like Sean, you have a source. You're better-served by going on a diet, and losing ten pounds, or more.
I also have a dirtbike that has a pair of Ti handlebars, I bought them probably 45 years-ago.
I believe that to work on aerospace parts made of Ti, you need to have Ti wrenches, as the typical cadmium plating on over the counter wrenches can damage the Ti alloy. That's the probable source of the complaints about the military's "$500 hammers," and "$400 wrenches." Ignorance is bliss.
Finally, since this is a motorcycle forum, pictures of the world's fastest vehicle, two-wheels or four: Glenn Curtiss's land-speed record V-8 motorcycle, which he built from a dirigible engine he had designed, and built, and then adapted to motorcycle use. Curtiss was the fastest man on land or in the air, quite a distinction. He's the proud native son of Hammondsport NY. Pic #3 is the bike, #4 is the bevel gear final drive, and #5 is the V-8 engine. Curtiss designed it, he built it and he rode it. I don't know which is bigger, his brain or his balls, try to find the brakes. :worthy::ummm:
ullhair:
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