Titanium Overview

The Use of Titanium in Family Automobiles: Current Trends

K. Faller and F.H. (Sam) Froes
Titanium offers a number of attractive features for use in high-production-volume automobiles; however, to date, high cost has been a barrier to application. This article discusses the current trends for the use of titanium in the family automobile, with emphasis on two breakthrough applications. INTRODUCTION The attractive characteristics (e.g., high strength, low density, and excellent corrosion resistance) of titanium offer many potential applications in automobiles both in the drive train and in the chassis.15 In these applications, titanium offers the potential for weight reduction and, perhaps, performance improvements, when substituted for alloys or stainless steels. Weight reduction, because it provides greater design flexibility, is important for both racing and high-volume family automobiles.4 For a number of years, race-car engine builders have chosen titanium for reduced-weight valves and connecting rods. Performance improvements resulted from torque and power output and reduced deflection of associated components.1 In passenger cars, the benefits of titanium would include fuel economy (due to improved power-train efficiency or vehicle weight reduction),35 reduced engine noise and vibration, and imTable I. Cost of Titanium A Comparison* Item Material ($ per pound) Steel Aluminum Titanium Ore 0.02 0.10 0.30 Metal 0.10 0.68 2.00 Ingot 0.15 0.70 4.50 Sheet 0.300.60 1.005.00 15.0050.00
* Thus the high cost of titanium compared to aluminum and steel is a result of (a) high extraction costs and (b) high processing costs. The latter relating to the relatively low processing temperatures used for titanium and the conditioning (surface regions contaminated at the processing temperatures, and surface cracks, both of which must be removed) required prior to further fabrication.

Fuel Economy (Mileage/gl)

Passenger Vehicles in Japan 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1,000

2,000

3,000 4,000 Vehicle Weight (lb)

5,000

Figure 2. Effect of weight reduction on fuel consumption.

proved durability due to reduced component loads. Passenger automobile components that could benefit from titanium include engine valves, connecting rods and valve-spring retainers, and valve springs (Figure 1).6 The effect of automobile weight on fuel consumption is shown in Figure 2. Non-engine applications in the automobile also exist for titanium. Use of titanium in the chassis, for instance, would reduce the vehicles weight and, as a result, improve its fuel economy. Among the components of greatest interest are coil suspension springs, exhaust systems, half shafts, bolts, and other fasteners. Titanium has been employed for these components in race cars, but until recently applications in family

automobiles had not progressed beyond the prototype stage. Two major obstacles must be overcome if titanium is to be used in high-volume production automotive applications. First, both rawmaterial and component-fabrication costs must be reduced to affordable levels (Table I). Second, an appropriate supply base must be created (i.e., the capabilities of titanium and component suppliers must be expanded to provide the volume of material and products that would be needed). The worldwide titanium market is about 45,000 tonnes per year, with about half in the United States. The total production car market is 60 million vehicles, with slightly more than 25% in the United States. Thus, even 0.5 kg of titanium in 50% of the autos would represent a substantial 30% increase in titanium use. For that reason, the auto use of titanium has often been referred to as the holy grail of the titanium industry. TITANIUM USE IN THE FAMILY AUTOMOBILE The Titanium Metals Corporation (Timet) identifies five keys to acceptance of titanium in automobiles: Provide a real solution. Gain consensus. Leverage technology. Use established manufacturing techniques. Deliver value. The first use of titanium in a production automobile, albeit high end, was for connecting rods in the Acura NSX V-6. This use was followed by titanium valves in the 1998 Japanese car of the year, the Toyota Altezza (Figure 3). With a powder-metallurgy approach, Ti-6Al-4V/TiB is being used for the intake valves on the Altezza, and a high27

Figure 1. Potential applications of titanium in passenger cars.

2001 April JOM

temperature Ti-Al-Zr-Sn-Nb-Mo-Si/TiB composition for the exhaust valves. The engine is 2,000 cc, with eight intake valves and eight exhaust valves. The titanium valves weigh 27 g (intake) and 24 g (exhaust), or 408 g per automobile. The steel valves for the same engine are 44.6 g for the intake valves and 40.0 g for the exhaust valves. The use of titanium also reduces the valve spring weight from 43 g to 36 g. With an initial production rate of 4,000 automobiles per month, half are equipped with the titanium valves. Other applications in Japan include titanium gear shift knobs on Hondas S2000 roadster and the Acura Integra type R. In Europe, Ferrari and Porsche have introduced titanium connecting rods in series production models. The two newest applications of titanium in family autos demonstrate the importance of the five keys to acceptance. For example, in the Corvette Z06 exhaust, the goal was to reduce mass to improve performance. Titanium provided an 11.7 kg dual muffler assembly, achieving a 41% weight reduction and contributing to the best performing Corvette ever with a virtually unlimited exhaust life (Figure 4). Consensus and leverage were achieved by Timet working with Arvin Meritor on a new Timetal Exhaust Grade titanium (similar to Grade 2). The materials were jointly tested to assure performance. Established manufacturing techniques for stainless steel stamping, bending, cold forming and welding were successfully modified for titanium. And, finally, the mass reduc-

tion noted above delivered the desired customer value. Springs are a natural application for titanium because of the metals low modulus and reduced density compared to steel. Although titanium springs are already extensively used in the aerospace industry by companies such as Boeing, Timet felt that the product was much too expensive for automobile use. Thus, the approach has been to develop the titanium auto springs with an aerospace manufacturer and then, along with Volkswagon AG, take the spring to be fabricated by a car producers fabricator using a standard steel spring manufacturing line. VWs selection of fabricator, Muhr und Bender, modified its steel spring manufacturing line to accommodate titanium. The result, using the lowcost beta alloy Ti-4.5Fe-6.8Mo-1.5Al is a material up to 50% less expensive than conventional beta alloys, a spring only one-third the mass of an equivalent steel spring and with optimized fatigue life. The use of these titanium springs on the 2001 model year Volkswagon Lupo FSI contributes to the 81.6 kg overall weight reduction on the FSI model compared to the standard model Lupo. The Lupo FSI is being marketed in Europe as the lowest fuel consumption gasoline car in the world at 48 mpg. Volkswagon expects to manufacture up to 3,500 of the 2001 model year FSI Lupos (Figure 5). FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Figure 5. Titanium spring shown in place on the Volkswagon Lupo FSI.

The critical breakthrough appears to have been made in getting titanium into large-volume production automobiles in niche applications. We are clearly not going to see titanium sheet replacing steel sheet with a cost differential of 50100 times (Table I). However, the niche applications already established can be grown through design and production advances, and new niches Figure 3. The Toyota Altezza, 1998 Japanese Car of the Year, can be added. The chalthe first family automobile in the world to feature titanium lenge will be to move valves. beyond the niche status to large-volume applications by reducing cost. Lower cost sponge would be very desirable, but whether the Kroll or Hunter processes (already optimized extensively) can be modified to achieve this is frankly doubtful. The Fray process, 79 however, offers a completely new, albeit still experimental technique with interesting Figure 4. The authors, Froes (left) and Faller (right) are shown potential. Near netlifting the stainless steel and titanium exhaust systems, respecshape powder metaltively. Faller lifts the titanium system with ease; Froes struggles lurgy approaches have with the stainless steel component. 28

proven their potential on the Altezza, and other chunky parts are also amenable to this method. 10 Lower-cost, higher-yield alloys and single-melt (cold hearth electron-beam or plasma) processing can reduce cost, as can the implementation of multi-year price agreements. The titanium industry must also be prepared to use available high-volume steel production equipment and assure auto manufacturers that consistency and quality are not problems. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author (F.H. Froes) acknowledges the assistance of Mrs. Marlane Martonick in typing and formatting this article. References
1. K. Faller and F.H. (Sam) Froes, Materials and Science in Sports, ed. F.H. (Sam) Froes and S. Haake (Warrendale, PA: TMS, 2001), pp. 4756. 2. A.M. Sherman and J.E. Allison (Paper 860608 presented at the SAE Int. Congress and Exposition, Warrendale, PA, 1986). 3. J.E. Allison, A.M. Sherman, and M.R. Bapna, JOM, 39 (2) (1987), pp. 1417. 4. A.M. Sherman, C.J. Sommer, and F.H. Froes, JOM, 49 (5) (1997), p. 38. 5. F.H. Froes, Light Metals Age (February 1999), p. 117. 6. L. Martin (Paper presented at the ITA Conference, New Orleans, LA, October 2000). 7. G.Z. Chen, D.J. Fray, and T.W. Farthing, Nature, 407 (2000), p. 361. 8. Malcolm Ward-Close, Fray Process (Paper presented at the ITA Conference, New Orleans, LA, October 2000). 9. F.H. Froes, Light Metal Age (February 2001), p. 54. 10. V. Moxson and F.H. (Sam) Froes, Materials and Science in Sports, ed. F.H. (Sam) Froes and S. Haake (Warrendale, PA: TMS, 2001), pp. 5770.

K. Faller is with the International Automotive Applications division of TIMET Corporate Development. F.H. (Sam) Froes is with the Institute for Materials and Advanced Processes (IMAP) at the University of Idaho. For more information, contact F.H. Froes, University of Idaho, Institute for Materials and Advanced Processes (IMAP), Mines Building, Room 321B, Moscow, ID 83844-3026; (208) 885-7989; fax (208) 885-4009; e-mail imap@uidaho.edu or Kurt Faller, TIMET Corporate Development, 900 Hemlock Road, Morgantown, PA 19543; (610) 286-1222; fax (610) 286-3831.

JOM April 2001