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This article provides an introduction to titanium, the TIG (or GTA) welding process, and focuses on
best practices and outlines common pitfalls.
Pretty colors are fine for titanium jewelry. However, blue, violet, green, grey and white colors indicate
atmospheric contamination in a GTA welded titanium component. In critical applications, welds
exhibiting such colors may suffer reduced strength and loss of ductility and could (or must) be
rejected.
Responsible fabricators owe it to their customers and themselves to produce welds that meet
standards such as those outlined in AWS D1.9, Structural Welding Code—Titanium, as well as their
own high standards. This article provides an introduction to titanium, the GTA welding process,
focuses on best practices and outlines common pitfalls. It is especially written with smaller
companies in mind, as they perform the bulk of GTA welding.
About Titanium
Titanium and its alloys offer excellent corrosion resistance to acids, chlorides and salt; a wide
continuous service temperature range, from liquid nitrogen (-322°F) to 1100°F; and the highest
strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.
For example, the most widely used grade of titanium alloy, ASTM Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V), has a yield
strength of 120,000 psi and a density of 282 lb/ft3. In comparison, ASTM A36 steel has a yield
strength of 36,000 psi and a density of 487 lb/ft3, while 6061-T6 aluminum has a yield strength of
39,900 psi and density of 169 lb/ft3.
In short, titanium is about 45 percent lighter than steel, 60 percent heavier than aluminum and more
than three times stronger than either of them. While expensive initially, titanium lowers life cycle
costs because of its long service life and reduced (or non-existent) maintenance and repair costs.
For example, the Navy replaced copper-nickel with titanium for seawater piping systems on its LDP-
17 San Antonio Class of ships because it expects titanium to last the entire 40 to 50 year life of the
ship.
In addition to military applications, other common uses for this light, strong and corrosion-resistant
metal include those for aerospace, marine, chemical plants, process plants, power generation, oil
and gas extraction, medical and sports.
Welding Advice
ASTM International recognizes 31 grades of titanium. Different grades address the need for various
combinations of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, formability, ease of fabrication and
weldability. While the various properties of these grades can be somewhat overwhelming (see the
side bar story for brief explanation), the welding of titanium is relatively similar to other alloy metals.
The following images and advice demonstrate the basic best practices for welding titanium,
expanding on the advice and information given above.
To hold the purge blocks in place while welding, consider a fixture/clamp arrangement like the one
shown here. The holes in the welding table allow weldments and purge blocks to be clamped in a
wide variety of positions.
Notice the variety of stainless steel blocks and shims
used to position and balance the purge blocks. The
holes in the welding table make it much easier to
position the purge blocks, as it permits access for the
gas lines from the bottom side.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to acknowledge the significant contributions to this article made by two people.
Geoff Ekblaw has more than 40 years of experience (and the patience to pose for the photos in this
article). He is the senior welder at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, www.whoi.edu).
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, independent organization in Falmouth, Mass.,
dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a
recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the
oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of
the ocean's role in the changing global environment. WHOI is world-renowned for its deep-sea
submersible vehicle Alvin. Alvin makes extensive use of titanium and is most famous for its use in
exploring the wreck of the Titanic.
Jody Collier is a senior certified welding inspector (SCWI) and Instructor/Developer, Welding
Training/Certification with Delta Air Lines Technical Operations Center in Atlanta (Delta TechOps;
866-MRO-Delta or TechSales.Delta@delta.com). Delta TechOps is the largest airline MRO in North
America, earning more than $312 million in revenue in 2006. In addition to providing maintenance
and engineering support for Delta's fleet of 440 aircraft, Delta TechOps serves more than 100
aviation and airline customers from around the world, specializing in high-skill work like engines,
components, base and line maintenance. Delta TechOps employs more than 6,500 maintenance
professionals and is one of the most experienced MRO providers in the world with more than seven
decades of aviation expertise.