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  • 1.  Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-24-2021 07:41
    I have an item I would like to convert from HSLA steel to titanium for weight savings (and corrosion improvement.) The original design uses square tubing, 2x2"/50x50mm, in various thicknesses up to 0.25"/6mm. It needs to be Ti-6Al-4V or other alloy for strength (yield 100ksi/700MPa minimum). However, I do not find any suppliers with this relatively heavy wall, all the tubing out there seems to be round and thin walled, probably geared to chemical industry. Any suggestions out there? I am hoping to avoid a total redesign that would allow use of plate. And did I mention that since this is a prototype, I only need a small amount, although I would like to know about any sources should it go into production.

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    Janine Borofka
    JLG Senior Chief Engineer - Materials
    Hagerstown MD United States
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  • 2.  RE: Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-25-2021 01:07
    Ti-6-4 is readily available for 3-D printing. Could definitely pursue that for a prototype and then maybe for production, too

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    William Weimer
    Senior Metallurgist and Materials Engineer
    United States Coast Guard
    Virginia Beach VA
    6147475647
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  • 3.  RE: Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-26-2021 08:10
    Manufacturing Ti-64 square tubing at that thickness is challenging, since the alloy has limited cold formability. Additive manufacturing is an option, and Ti-64 is known to distort pretty badly in LPBF, so EPBF or DED are better options. You could machine it from bar (drilling the inside) or try finding a beta titanium alloy plate that could be cold formed and welded more readily. The beta alloys will require heat treatment knowledge and fixturing to form and weld without distortion.

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    John Foltz
    ATI Specialty Materials
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  • 4.  RE: Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-29-2021 11:57
    Thanks all for helpful replies.
    My gut feeling is that AM wouldn't work since the prototype needs to pass some extreme load testing, but I will look into properties. ​

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    Janine Borofka
    JLG Senior Chief Engineer - Materials
    Hagerstown MD United States
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  • 5.  RE: Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-30-2021 09:09
    Additional factors that must be considered when switching from steel to titanium:
    • titanium is anisotropic and properties are different in different directions
    • titanium has half the elastic modulus of steel 

    --
    John Grubb



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  • 6.  RE: Structural Titanium Tubing?

    Posted 06-30-2021 23:15
    For anyone looking for AM services using GMAW, Lincoln Electric has a facility dedicated to building parts on contract.  They can build everything from Invar to Aluminum bronze to titanium using robots and positioners.    Contact Mark_Douglass@LincolnElectric.com for services.

    For more sophisticated parts, Siacky is currently making parts using Electron Beam. Rick Sutherlin is a Ti consultant who is working with Sciaky  rsuther223@comcast.net currently involved in making titanium parts for ASME Boiler Code Section III (Nuclear) applications. 


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    Walter Sperko
    President
    Sperko Engineering Services Incorporated
    Greensboro NC
    (336) 674-0600
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