- Guide to best practice -

WELDING TITANIUM
A DESIGNERS AND USERS HANDBOOK

TIG THE
TITANIUM
INFORMATION
G R O U P

WORLD CENTRE FOR

MATERIALS JOINING
TECHNOLOGY

Electronic copyright in this document as follows: Copyright TWI and the Titanium Information Group,
1999

£25.00
TITANIUM INFORMATION GROUP

The TITANIUM INFORMATION GROUP, (TIG) is an association of European suppliers, design engineers, and
fabricators of titanium formed with the intention of promoting the use of titanium.

The aim of the Group is to influence the initial selection of materials so that titanium is given the consideration
merited by its unique combination of physical and mechanical properties, outstanding resistance to corrosion and
cost effectiveness in a wide range of demanding applications.

Regular publications and literature available from the Group present detailed and up-to-date technical and
commercial information to materials engineers, plant and equipment designers and buyers, and provide the answers
to everyday questions about cost, availability, fabrication and use of titanium and its alloys.

Members of the Group are available to give presentations about titanium on either general or specific topics to
companies or at seminars. A list of member companies of TIG appears on pages 32 and 33 Copies of the TIG
video, ‘Titanium Today’ and the data diskette ‘Titanium and Its Alloys’ are available for use in educational and
training establishments to provide an introduction to the metal its applications and properties.
Further information on TIG publications can be found on the web: www.titaniuminfogroup.co.uk

TWI
TWI is based at Abington, near Cambridge, UK and is one of Europe’s largest independent contract research and
technology organisations. Over 400 staff, with a unique blend of technical backgrounds, international experience
and language skills, work with industry world-wide to apply joining technology effectively. Some 2500 member
companies in over 50 countries benefit from TWI services.
TWI’s knowhow and expertise covers:
Engineering - design, structural integrity, fracture, NDT.
Materials - steels, non-ferrous alloys including titanium, plastics, composites, ceramics.
Welding and joining- arc, electron beam, laser, resistance and friction welding, brazing, soldering, adhesive
bonding, fastening.
Surfacing - arc cladding, friction, high velocity oxyfuel, laser, arc spraying.
Cutting - flame, plasma, water jet, laser.
Manufacturing - project management, production/manufacturing engineering, decision support, manufacturing
systems, health and safety, quality assurance.
Industry’s objectives are TWI’s objectives
Reduce costs.
Market effectively.
Continuously improve quality and reliability.
Innovate.

TWI, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB1 6AL, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1223 891162 Fax: +44 (0)1223 892588
Web: http://www.twi.co.uk email: [email protected]

The data and other information contained herein are derived from a variety of
sources which TIG and TWI believe are reliable. Because it is not possible to
anticipate specific uses and operating conditions TIG and TWI urge you to
consult with the sales or technical service personnel as appropriate of the
individual companies.

Written by: Lee S Smith, Philip Threadgill and Michael Gittos TWI
Editor: David Peacock Titanium Metals Corporation
Data available in literature available from TWI, TIMET and other members of TIG and May 1999
TWI is incorporated in this publication.
INTRODUCTION
The high strength, low weight and outstanding corrosion resistance possessed by titanium and titanium alloys have
led to a wide and diversified range of successful applications in aerospace, chemical plant, power generation, oil
and gas extraction, medical, sports, and other industries. There is a common question which links all of these
applications, and that is how best to join titanium parts together, or to other materials to produce the final component
or structure. The variety of titanium alloys, and the vastly greater number of engineering metals and materials
requires that there should be a versatile selection of joining processes for titanium if the metal is to be capable of
use in the widest range of applications. Although mechanical fastening, adhesives, and other techniques have their
place, welding continues to be the most important process for joining titanium. Welding of titanium by various
processes is widely practised, and service performance of welds is proven with an extensive and continuously
extending record of achievements. Newer methods adaptable for titanium are further advancing the science,
technology and economics of welding. Application of this technology to the design, manufacture and application of
titanium is as relevant to first time users as to committed customers. For many applications, choosing the welding
process is as important a step in design as the specification of the alloy.

This handbook, the sixth in a series, is produced jointly by the Titanium Information Group and TWI World
Centre for Materials Joining Technology. The aim of this edition remains as with its predecessors, to bring together
key elements of widely dispersed data into a single source book. Use of this handbook will enable those responsible
to select welding processes that will be appropriate to the titanium alloy, the component, and the application. In
this way the most demanding goals for reliability, maintainability and safety can be achieved, together with the
lowest overall cost for components and systems of the highest performance and integrity.

CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Why use Titanium 2
Properties of Titanium and its Alloys 3
Joining Titanium and its alloys 4
TIG welding 5
MIG welding 6
Plasma and fluxed welding 7
Laser and EB welding 8
Resistance welding 9
Friction welding processes 10
Diffusion bonding 13 Titanium alloy (grade 5) fabricated structure for high
Forge welding processes 14 specification military application
Brazing and soldering 15
Adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening 16
Joining titanium to other metals 17
Workshop practice 18
Open air welding 19
Preparation of the joint for welding 20
Welding techniques 21
Evaluation of weld quality 25
Visual inspection 26
Repair of defects 28
Distortion and stress relief 29
The do’s and don’ts of welding 30
Standards and specifications 31
For further help 32
TIG members 33

Keyhole plasma welding

1
WHY USE TITANIUM
Light, strong titanium should be considered for applications wherever weight or space are factors or corrosion/erosion is a problem.

In all fields of engineering, designers, fabricators and applications such as plate heat exchangers and
end users are ready to consider titanium for an ever architectural cladding and roofing, to fully heat treatable
widening range of applications. The metal and its alloys alloys with strength above 1500MPa. Corrosion resistant
are no longer seen as ‘exotic’. Outdated and misguided alloys are capable of withstanding attack in the most
notions about cost, availability, and fabrication are less aggressive sour oil and gas environments or geothermal
likely than ever to prejudice engineers who can see for brines at temperatures above 250°C. High strength
themselves all the excellent benefits which titanium oxidation and creep resistant alloys see service in aero
offers. This brochure has been compiled to show how engines at temperatures up to 600°C. Suitable welding
the metal’ s reputation for being difficult to weld, is both processes are essential for the application and
misleading and inappropriate. Titanium alloys joined by performance of titanium to be optimised in most of these
any one of a wide range of welding processes are uses.
routinely at work in applications as widely differing as
aero engines, offshore platform pipework, implants for Improving the understanding of welding titanium and
the human body and ultra lightweight roofing. Practical the preservation of its properties after joining are design
and competitive welding processes ensure there are steps towards increased flexibility in materials selection
today few other materials that can approach, and use, resulting in improved quality and performance
economically or technically, the performance provided of products and processes. In this way, the technical
by titanium. superiority of titanium will be confirmed for even more
engineering applications than at present, to the mutual
Titanium is as strong as steel, yet 45% lighter. Titanium benefit of the titanium industry and its customers.
alloys will work continuously at temperatures up to
600°C, resisting creep and oxidation, and down to liquid What is the cost? This question frequently comes
nitrogen temperatures without loss of toughness. first. The price per kilo of titanium is no guide to the cost
Titanium will survive indefinitely without corrosion in of a properly designed component, or piece of
seawater, and most chloride environments. The equipment. First cost is in any event only one part of the
metallurgical characteristics which give titanium its full cost equation. Maintenance, downtime and
favourable properties can be reproduced, by selection replacement costs which may be a very significant
of an appropriate practice, in welded joints for most element in plant designed for long and reliable service
titanium alloys. The oxide film, which is the basis of the life are another. In this area, welding plays a significant
metal’s corrosion resistance forms equally over welds role, ensuring that the performance of a titanium
and heat affected zones as over parent metal, and other fabrication matches that of the metal overall. Additional
than in a few very harsh environments, weldments costs of energy associated with operating unnecessarily
perform identically to parent metal in corrosion resistant heavy or thermally inefficient equipment may be a third
service. penalty on life cycle costs. Titanium is frequently specified
for its ability to cut costs through reliable and efficient
The wide range of available titanium alloys enables performance. Titanium welded tube is for example
designers to select materials and forms closely tailored installed in steam turbine condensers and welded pipe
to the needs of the application. The versatility of two in nuclear power plant service water applications with
basic compositions is such however that they continue 40 year performance guarantees against corrosion failure.
to satisfy the majority of applications, and this level of One manufacturer offers a 100 year warranty on its metal
common use remains a major factor in the cost effective supplied for architectural applications.
production, procurement and application of titanium.
The two compositions are commercially pure titanium, It is not possible in this guide to give an absolute
(ASTM Grade 2), selected for basic corrosion resistance cost or an accurate comparison of cost for the different
with strength in the range 350 - 450MPa, and high welding processes described. The equipment capabilities
strength titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, (900 - 1100MPa). and cost structures of equally competent welding
Welding consumables are readily available for these contractors frequently results in a range of prices being
grades. Although there are other weldable alloys, offered for the same basic job. Some processes are,
consumables for these may need to be obtained from however, intrinsically more expensive than others. Always
specialist sources. The full range of titanium alloys seek advice from an appropriate welding specialist or
reaches from high ductility commercially pure titanium contractor before attempting to develop a budget or
used where extreme formability is essential, in notional cost for a welding project.

2
PROPERTIES OF TITANIUM AND ITS ALLOYS
A convenient and widely used system for specific Grade 5 is the ‘workhorse’ alpha-beta alloy of the
identification of the various grades of commercially pure titanium range. It is also specified with reduced oxygen
titanium and titanium alloys used for engineering and content (ELI) for enhanced toughness (Grade 23), and
corrosion resisting applications is provided by ASTM with addition of .05% palladium for added corrosion
which cover all the forms supplied in titanium and its resistance, (Grade 24) and with palladium and nickel
alloys:- (Grade 25). Current interest in this alloy for marine
B 265 - Strip Sheet and Plate applications is focused upon Grade 23 with .05%
B 337 - Seamless and Welded Pipe palladium or Grade 29 with .1% ruthenium. Restrictions
B 338 - Seamless and Welded Tube on fabricability may limit availability in certain products.
B 348 - Bars and Billets
B 363 - Seamless and Welded Fittings Grade 9, (near alpha) has good fabricability and
B 367 - Castings medium levels of strength. Grade 18 (Grade 9 + .05%
B 381 - Forgings Pd) and Grade 28, (Grade 9 + .1% Ru) offer enhanced
B 861 - Seamless Pipe (to replace B337) corrosion resistance.
B 862 - Welded Pipe
B 863 -Wire Beta-C and TIMETAL®21S are high strength highly
F 67 - Unalloyed Titanium for Surgical Applications corrosion resistant beta alloys in the ASTM range. They
F 136 - Ti-6Al-4V for Surgical Applications are respectively Grade 19, and Grade 21. (The
counterpart of Grade 19 with .05% Pd is Grade 20).
Grades 1,2,3,4 are commercially pure (alpha) Grade 32 (Navy alloy) has good weldability together with
titanium, used primarily for corrosion resistance. Strength high toughness and resistance to stress corrosion
and hardness increase, and ductility reduces with grade cracking in marine environments. Grade 21,
number. Grade 2 is the most widely used specification (TIMETAL®21S) and Grade 32, (TIMETAL®5111) are also
in all product forms. Grade 1 is specified when superior available with the addition of .05% palladium.
formability is required. Grades 3 and 4 are used where
higher levels of strength are necessary. Weldments in ASTM grade 2 are normally
Grades 7, 11, 16, 17, also alpha alloys, contain characterised by increased strength, accompanied by a
palladium (Pd) and provide superior corrosion resistance reduction of ductility and fracture toughness. Any
in particular to reducing acid chlorides. Grades 26 and strengthening induced by cold work will be lost in the
27 are similarly also alpha alloys, and contain .1% joint region. Weldments in Ti-6Al-4V typically exhibit near-
ruthenium (Ru) to provide enhanced corrosion resistance matching strengths to the base metal, but have lower
in reducing environments. The mechanical properties of ductility. The toughness of the weld zone is superior to
grades 7, 16 and 26 are identical to those of Grade 2. alpha-beta processed material, showing similar values
The mechanical properties of grades 11, 17 and 27 are to alpha-beta processed parent alloys. Some examples
similarly identical to those of Grade 1. of actual weld properties are given for processes
Grade 12 (alpha) also offers superior corrosion described in the text, but you are strongly advised to
resistance to commercially pure titanium, but is stronger consult with your welding specialist in cases where weld
and retains useful levels of strength up to 300°C. performance is critical in your design.

Typical mechanical properties and physical properties of titanium and titanium alloys (100MPa = approx. 15 ksi)

Designation Commerically Medium High Highest

Pure Titanium Strength Strength Strength
Alloys Alloys
Alloy Type Alpha Alpha-Beta Alpha-Beta Beta
0.2% Proof Stress MPa 345 - 480 480 - 550 725 - 1000 1100 - 1400
Tensile Strength MPa 480 - 620 600 - 650 830 - 1100 1200 - 1500
Elongation % 20 - 25 15 -20 8 - 15 6 - 12
Tensile Modulus GPa 103 104 110 - 120 69 - 110
Torosion Modulus GPa 45 43 40 - 48 38 - 45
Hardness HV 160 - 220 200 - 280 300 - 400 360 - 450
Density kg/1 4.51 4.48 - 4.51 4.43 - 4.60 4.81 - 4.93
Thermal Expansion 10-6/ºC 8.9 8.3 8.9 7.2 - 9.5
Conductivity W/mK 22 8.0 6.7 6.3 - 7.6
Specific Heat J/kg/ºC 525 544 565 490 - 524

3
JOINING TITANIUM AND ITS ALLOYS
WELDABILITY
Most titanium alloys can be fusion welded and all alloys Welding consumables are readily available for the
can be joined by solid state processes (see table). common titanium grades and specifications for welding
Indeed, Welds in titanium are substantially immune to wire are provided in AWS Specification A5.16. Permissible
many of the weld cracking problems that cause trouble filler metal, normally identical to the parent metal, may
with ferrous alloy fabrications. Despite this and other be specified as in ASTM B 862.
beneficial characteristics, some engineers still believe
that titanium is difficult to weld, possibly due to its The weldability of titanium alloys is usually assessed
particular requirements with regard to gas shielding, or on the basis of the toughness and ductility of the weld
because it has normally been handled only by specialist metal. Commercially pure grades are considered very
fabricators. Titanium is actually easy to weld by most easy to fabricate and are ordinarily used in the as-welded
processes, as are most of its more common alloys. condition. Titanium alloys show reduced weld metal
Embrittlement through contamination with air and ductility and toughness. The table below highlights the
carbonaceous materials poses the biggest threat to weldability of the common ASTM titanium grades and
successful fusion welding titanium, so the area to be other alloys. Technical consultation should be sought
welded must be clean and protected by inert gas while prior to designing or fabricating any of the titanium alloys,
hot. The means to protect the weldment with inert gas if there is any likelihood of problems arising from
are commercially available and easy to implement. unfamiliarity with the materials concerned.

Weldability of the common ASTM grades

ASTM Grades Weldability Comments

1,2,3,4,7,11,12,13 Excellent Commercially pure and low alloy grades

14,15,16,17,26,27 with minor additions of Pd, Ru, Mo etc
9,18,28 Excellent Ti-3A1-2.5V grades
5,23,24,29 Fair-good Ti-6A1-4V grades
21 Excellent Beta alloy
6,6ELI Good-excellent Ti-5A1-2.5Sn

Weldability of selected non-ASTM Ti alloys

Alloy Weldability Comments

Ti-6A1-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo Fair-good Common aerospace alpha

& beta grade
Ti-6A1-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo Limited Aerospace alpha & beta grade
Beta III Excellent Beta alloy
Ti-15V-3A1-3Sn-3Cr Excellent Beta alloy

Welding of a titanium fuel tank for the record breaking Fabrication of a large titanium pressure vessel
Breitling Orbiter III balloon (Bunting Titanium) (Bunting Titanium)

4
ARC WELDING PROCESSES
TUNGSTEN INERT GAS (TIG) WELDING TIG (GTAW)
Tungsten inert gas welding is also known as tungsten
arc welding and gas-tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and Advantages
is currently the most commonly applied joining process • Manual or mechanised process
for titanium and its alloys. Titanium is one of the easiest • All position capabilty
of metals to weld by the TIG process; the weld pool is • Capable of producing high quality welds
fluid and its combination of low density and high surface • Significant industrial experience
tension enables good control of the weld surface profile • No weld spatter
and penetration, even when unsupported. An arc
between the tungsten alloy electrode and workpiece Disadvantages
obtains fusion of the joint region, while an inert gas (the • Low productivity
torch gas) sustains the arc and protects the tungsten • Tungsten inclusions if electrode touches
electrode and molten metal from atmospheric weld pool
contamination. The inert gas is typically argon, but a
mixture of helium and argon can be used to increase Higher productivity variants of the TIG process have
penetration or speed. Welds can be made autogenously been applied to titanium. Hot wire TIG enables a greater
(i.e. without filler addition) or with addition of a fill rate to be achieved, improving productivity on
consumable wire into the arc. The TIG process is fully multipass welds required for heavier section thicknesses.
capable of operating in all welding positions and is the Activated TIG (A-TIG) achieves deeper penetration
only process that is routinely used for orbital welding. through the use of a special flux sprayed onto the joint
Specialist orbital welding equipment is commercially surfaces prior to welding. The latter process has had
available for a wide range of component diameters and particular success for welding stainless steels, but its
often has the added advantage of incorporating the inert potential application to titanium joints has yet to be fully
gas trailing shield necessary for titanium fabrication. exploited.

Typical tensile properties of TIG weldments

Tensile Strength Proof Stress Elongation (%)

Alloy (MPa) (MPa)

Parent Weld Parent Weld Parent Weld

Grade 2 460 510 325 380 26 18
Ti-6A1-4V 1000 1020 900 880 14 8
Ti-3A1-2.5V 705 745 670 625 15 12

Example welding parameters (1mm =.04inch) Manual TIG welding of a titanium vessel (Bunting Titanium)

5
METAL INERT GAS (MIG) WELDING
The MIG process has not been applied as widely to
MIG (GGAW)
titanium as it has been to ferrous and other non-ferrous
alloys. Many of the historical reasons why MIG welding
Advantages
has not been favoured for titanium no longer apply. High
• Manual or mechanised process
currents are required for stable metal transfer and the
• All position capabilty
poor surfaces originally produced on titanium wire
• Better productivity than TIG welding
caused rapid contact tip wear. More recently, the
combination of modern inverter power sources with
Disadvantages
pulsed currents gives more stable metal transfer, whilst
• Weld Spatter
the improved surface finish of titanium wire has reduced
contact tip wear such that the problem is barely apparent
in development work.
combination with argon-helium (Ar-He) shielding gas.
In MIG welding, an arc is generated between a
continuously fed consumable electrode (a wire of MIG welding offers greater productivity than TIG
matching composition to the base material) and the welding, especially for completing thicker section joints.
workpiece. Spray transfer occurs above a critical welding As yet the process has been typically applied to joints
current density and requires the use of direct current for which exceptional weld quality is not critical, e.g.
with the electrode positive. This method demands high appliqué armour plate, but with development the process
currents and therefore high welding speeds, which in may be capable of satisfying higher quality welding
turn require long trailing shields, and effectively restricts requirements. A disadvantage of the process is that some
the process to mechanised welding. Dip transfer, degree of weld spatter appears to be unavoidable.
whereby the electrode comes into contact with the weld Spatter can be reduced by employing Ar-He torch
pool, can be used for semi-mechanised welding, typically shielding gas mixtures: the addition of helium acting to
for sheet material, but defects, caused by lack of fusion, stabilise the arc. Even so, in most instances spatter
can be a problem. Pulsed MIG appears to be the most removal poses no problem.
satisfactory process, especially when used in
MIG weld in 20mm thick Ti-6Al-4V
Properties of a MIG weld in 6mm thick Ti-6Al-4V
Tensile Strength Proof Stress Elongation
Region (MPa) (MPa) (%)

Base Metal 987 934 17

Weld Metal 979 848 8

PAW operating in the keyhole mode

Properties of a keyhole plasma arc weld in 14mm

(.55”)thick Ti-6Al-4V

Property Base Weld

Metal Metal

Tensile Strength (MPa) 987 979

Proof Stress (MPa) 934 848
Elongation (%) 17 8
CTODm (mm) 0.017 0.044
Kmax (MPa) 50.8 71.4

6
 PAW
PLASMA ARC (PAW) WELDING
Plasma arc welding retains the high quality associated Advantages
with TIG welding whilst having significant penetration • Faster than TIG
and speed advantages. Similar to TIG, heat is transferred • Single pass welds possible in material up to
by an arc generated between a tungsten electrode and 18mm thick
the workpiece; but, in the PAW process the arc is • Greater immunity to weld metal porosity
constricted by a copper alloy orifice to form a highly than any other fusion process
collimated arc column (see figure). In addition to a
surrounding shielding gas, a ‘plasma gas’ flows through Disadvantages
the copper orifice and a portion of this is ionised • Lmited positional capability
producing the characteristic plasma jet. In the
conduction-limited mode a weld pool similar to that certainly possible, but requires a controlled slope-down
produced during TIG welding is generated, whilst in the of the plasma gas flow rate and arc power to avoid any
keyhole mode, the plasma jet fully penetrates the joint. porosity defects at the stop position.
Molten metal flows around the keyhole and solidifies
behind the plasma jet as the torch traverses along the FLUXED WELDING PROCESSES
joint line. In many ways the keyhole plasma arc process The application of fluxed welding processes such as
is akin to a slower version of one of the power beam submerged arc, electroslag and flux cored arc welding
processes (electron beam and laser welding). A third have been investigated and reportedly used in the former
process variation exists, referred to as microplasma arc Soviet Union for welding thick section titanium alloy. The
welding. This is simply a low current variant (typically main difficulty is the selection of an appropriate flux;
0.1-15A) of the conduction-limited mode, suitable for oxides cannot be used these would contaminate the weld
producing small controlled weld beads. Welding is metal and, for similar reasons, fluxes should not be
generally performed with continuous direct current with hygroscopic (i.e. adsorb moisture). Most of the fluxes
the electrode negative (DCEN), but a pulsed current can have been rare earth and/or alkaline metal-based
be used to broaden the tolerance window of welding halogens and have been reported to produce
parameters which produce acceptable welds. contaminant-free welds. Some tests carried out in the
UK on commercially pure titanium showed mechanical
Plasma arc welding offers significant productivity gains properties in conformance with ANSI standards. Work
over both TIG and MIG, especially when operated in the performed at the Paton Institute, Kiev has shown that
keyhole mode. Although welds are only typically made joints can be produced in titanium alloys with
in the 1G or 2G positions, single pass welds can be made performance comparable to those of TIG welds. In
in material up to 18mm thick. Furthermore, the keyhole practice, however, the quality of welds made using fluxes
PAW process appears to offer greater immunity to weld is suspect, since the opportunities for contamination and
metal porosity than any other fusion welding process. slag inclusions are significant. Due to these intrinsic risks,
Because introduction of filler into the arc can cause fluxed welding processes cannot currently be
instabilities in the gas plasma, keyhole PAW is normally recommended for joining titanium. Further research into
performed autogenously, thus a small amount of underfill these welding methods is needed but the improvements
is typical. Completing a second pass, adding filler with to be gained, over conventional arc welding, are
the same torch operated in the conduction-limited considerable and could present major cost savings for
mode, or alternatively using TIG welding, can correct thick section titanium alloy fabrication.
this. Pipe circumferential welding (e.g. pipe joints) is
ˇ
Keyhole PAW is used extensively in the fabrication of the MIG welding has found application for appliqué armour plate
Ti-6Al-4V VSEL lightweight field gun. such as for the General Dynamics M1 Abrams tank.

7
POWER BEAM WELDING PROCESSES
LASER WELDING ELECTRON BEAM WELDING
Laser welding is finding increasing application for Electron beam (EB) welding has traditionally been the
titanium, for example in the production of welded tube preferred process for making critical joints in titanium
and pipe. The process, which offers low distortion and alloys. High quality welds can be produced with low
good productivity, is potentially more flexible than TIG distortion and with high reliability. Productivity can also
or electron beam for automated welding. Application is be good, especially for thick sections which can be
welded readily in a single pass. Conventional electron
beam welding is performed in a vacuum of about 10-4
Laser Welding
Electron Beam Welding
Advantages
• Automated process
Advantages
• High welding speed
• Automated process
• Fibre optic beam delivery with Nd-YAG
• Single pass welding of thick sections
• No filler or gas shield required
Disadvantages
• Significant industrial experience
• Expensive equipment
• Thickness limited with Nd-YAG
Disadvantages
• Weld Spatter
• Expensive equipment
• Component size limited by vacuum
chamber (not applicable for RPEB)
not restricted by a requirement to evacuate the joint
region. Furthermore, laser beams can be directed,
enabling a large range of component configurations to mbar, requiring a sealed chamber and pumping system.
be joined using different welding positions. CO2 lasers This adds to the capital cost of the equipment, especially
offer the greatest power range, with single pass welds for large components. A further drawback for large
possible in 20mm thick titanium using 25kW systems. components is the extended time it takes to achieve a
Nd-YAG laser welding offers superior flexibility due to vacuum in the chamber, decreasing productivity.
the possibility of fibre optic beam delivery systems, but However, electron beam guns have been designed which
penetration is restricted by a lower power capability. can operate at lower vacuum or near atmospheric
Laser welds can suffer from weld spatter, which may pressure. So called ‘reduced pressure’ electron beam
pose a problem on the root surface, particularly if (RPEB) welding shows great promise for decreasing costs
postweld access is restricted. and increasing productivity beyond that achievable using
conventional EB welding. Simple seals can be used to
isolate the joint region of a large component, which is
evacuated to a pressure of around 10-1mbar (achievable
using inexpensive mechanical vacuum pumps). An RPEB
RPEB weld in 13mm thick Ti-6Al-4V
steel pipe J-laying system is currently under development
at TWI. High quality welds have also been produced in
titanium alloy pipe and plate.

Laser weld 10mm (.4”) thick Gr 2 joined to Ti-6Al-4V

8
RESISTANCE WELDING
INTRODUCTION SEAM WELDING
Resistance welding of titanium is quite straightforward Continuous or intermittent seam welds are made
and is aided by the metal’s high resistivity and low using rotating disc electrodes, again with a spherical
thermal conductivity. The associated processes rely on contact profile, and the repeated application of brief
the heat generated by the resistance to electrical current electrical pulses. During welding, the electrode is rotated,
flowing through the workpiece to fuse the metal with traversing the contact position along the joint line. Inert
the joint. Shaped electrodes apply the current and gas shielding or flood water cooling may be desirable
pressure required to make a localised weld. As with other for seam welds since the repeated thermal cycles can
joining processes, cleanliness of the abutting joint faces result in the accumulation of heat and subsequent
is essential for a successful weld. Experience gained with oxidation.
stainless steels is relevant for resistance welding
commercially pure titanium grades, since the resistivity TITANIUM RESISTA-CLADTM PLATE
and thermal conductivity of the two metals are similar. This patented process is principally used to supply
Titanium alloys, however, have quite different thermal requirements for vessel cladding and flue gas
and electrical characteristics and should not be welded desulphurisation (FGD) duct and flue linings. Electrical
using parameters established for stainless steel. resistance heating is used to bond titanium to a less
expensive steel backing, using an intermediate stainless
steel mesh. The bond is a seam 12.7mm (0.5 inch) wide,
Resistance Welding having typical shear and peel strengths of 303MPa and
15kg/m respectively. The seams can be spaced to meet
Advantages the application requirements of stresses imposed in
• Automated process service by gravity, vibration, thermal expansion and
• Low distortion pressure cycling.
• Spot welds do not require gas shielding
Pre-bonded sheets are supplied for installation with
Disadvantages the titanium offset on two sides to permit overlap and
• Poor fatigue strength fillet seal welding of adjoining sheets. For retrofit
• Limited to sheet material installations, the thicknesses of titanium and the backing
steel would each be 1.6mm, (1/16 inch). For new build,
the titanium sheet can be recessed on all sides to allow
SPOT WELDING butt welding of the steel backer, followed by seal welding
Spot welding is performed using copper alloy of a titanium batten strip. Here, the thickness of the
electrodes with a spherical face, a current of 5-10kA titanium is 1.6mm, but the steel backer may be heavier
(increasing with sheet thickness) and an electrode force up to 25.4mm (1 inch), or as required by the operating
of several kiloNewtons. Inert gas shielding is not required conditions of the vessel or structure.
for spot welding since the thermal cycle resulting from Resista-CladTM plate. Methods of application
the brief electrical pulse is extremely rapid, minimising
local oxidation.

A spot weld in ASTM grade 2 sheet

Typical pattern of steel Typical Ti attachment and

wall attachment and Resista-Clad plate
overlap of Ti Resista-Clad contruction for new or total
plates for retofit linings. duct/vessel wall construction.

9
 FRICTION WELDING PROCESSES
INTRODUCTION
There are approximately 20 variants of friction welding, Friction Welding - general comments
most of which could be applied to titanium and its alloys.
In practice only a few of these are used industrially to Advantages
join titanium. An important feature of friction welding is • Rapid one shot processes
its ability to join titanium to other materials, which, • Fully automated
although often requiring an intermediate material, is • Can join dissimilar Ti alloys
virtually impossible to do by any process involving fusion. • Potential to join Ti to some other materials
The advantages of friction welding include no need for
shielding gases for most processes, very rapid Disadvantages
completion rates, and good mechanical properties. Most • Exquipment may be expensive
welds result in flash formation, which typically must be • Inspection can be difficult
removed. The main process variants are described below:

ROTARY FRICTION WELDING

There are two main variants of rotary friction welding; under an applied pressure. Frictional heat develops,
the continuous drive and inertia processes. In the causing the material close to the rubbing surfaces to
continuous drive rotary friction welding process, a soften and flow. After a certain displacement distance
component in bar or tube form is rotated under pressure (called burn-off) has been reached, the rotation is
against a similar component, or one of larger dimensions, stopped rapidly, and the contact force increased to
provide a forging action to consolidate the joint. Any
interfacial contamination is expelled with the flash that
Rotary Friction Welding is extruded from the joint.

Advantages Inertia friction welding has one component attached

• Extensive industrial experience to a flywheel, and spun to a predetermined rotation
• No shielding gas or filler speed before being pushed against the other component
under pressure. The braking action results in the
Disadvantages generation of frictional heating, and the formation of a
• Rotational symmetry required weld. Inertia friction welding delivers energy at a
decreasing rate through the weld cycle, whereas
continuous drive friction welding delivers energy at a
constant rate. Inertia welding is more commonly used
in the USA, and less so in Europe, where continuous
Schematic diagrams of the two rotary friction welding variants drive welding is predominant.

Rotary friction weld in 13mm thick Ti-6Al-4V pipe

Properties of a rotary friction weld in Ti-6Al-4V

Tensile Strength Proof Stress Elongation

Region (MPa) (MPa) (%)

Base Metal 949 834 15

Weld Zone 994 854 11

10
FRICTION STUD WELDING
Friction stud welding equipment is portable and can be Radial Friction Welding
used in-situ in remote and adverse environments. Like other Advantages
friction welding processes the added advantages of friction • No shielding gas required
stud welding are its rapidity at completing the joint and its • Neither component is rotated during
ability to join to dissimilar metals. Current applications welding
include stud attachment to architectural titanium panels. • No bore flash
Disadvantages
RADIAL FRICTION WELDING • Expensive equipment
One drawback of rotary friction welding is the necessity • Internal bore support required
to rotate one of the components. With small parts this
is not normally a problem, but for example with long
lengths of pipe there are obvious potential difficulties.
One solution to this is to use radial friction welding, in
Properties of radial friction weld in Ti-6Al-4V-0.1Ru
which the pipes are held stationary, and a V section ring
of narrower angle than the edge preparation in the pipe
Tensile Proof Elongation
is rotated between them using a continuous drive
Region Strength Stress (%)
mechanism, and simultaneously compressed radially to (MPa) (MPa)
force the ring into the joint. The equipment required for
this process is more complex than that required for rotary Base Metal 910 840 14
friction welding, as it requires a radial compression unit, Ring (as-received) 885 795 11
and also an internal mandrel to resist the high radial loads. Ring (as-welded) 1055 925 9
One advantage of the internal mandrel is that the internal Cross-weld 900 820 9
flash is eliminated, although there is generally a small
reduction of internal diameter which may need to be
removed.

Schematic diagram of radial friction welding process LINEAR FRICTION WELDING

This process variant was designed to eliminate the
need for rotational symmetry in one or both of the parts
being joined, and as a result the process can successfully
join parts of differing section. As its name implies, linear
friction welding uses a reciprocating linear motion to
provide the friction. The frequency is typically 25 to
100Hz, with an amplitude of +/- 2mm.

The process will be used extensively in the aero-

engine industry, in particular for joining compressor
blades to disks, but has not been taken up by other
industrial sectors for joining any metal. However, a close
variant of the process, vibration welding, is used
Stolt Comex’s radial friction welding pipe laying barge extensively in several industries for joining
thermoplastics.

Linear Friction Welding

Advantages
• Shielding gas not required
• Very good positional accuracy
• Rotational symmetry not required
Disadvantages
• Expensive equipment

11
ORBITAL FRICTION WELDING
In this process, one component is moved against the
other in an orbital motion. This removes the requirement Friction Stir Welding
for symmetry in both of the components.
Advantages
FRICTION STIR WELDING • No filler
This novel process has been well developed for • Low distortion
aluminium alloys. Progress is being made for its • Fully mechanised
application to titanium alloys, although it will be some • Increasing industrial usage for non-ferrous
time before it can be considered a competitive process. alloys
A number of advantages have already been
demonstrated for aluminium that may also apply to Disadvantages
titanium. Friction stir welding involves moving a small • Still under development for titanium
rotating tool between close butted components. • Gas shield required
Frictional heating causes the material to soften, and the
forward motion of the tool forces material from the front
of the tool to the back, where it consolidates to form a
solid state weld. The process combines the flexibility of been placed. This third material can be a metal which
mechanised arc welding with the excellent characteristics softens at a lower temperature than either of the two
of a friction weld. Progress has been swift in developing components being joined, or it can be a brazing alloy.
the technology for titanium and development welds have
been completed successfully at TWI. FRICTION TAPER PLUG WELDING
In this process a tapered plug is rotated and plunged
THIRD BODY FRICTION WELDING into a pre-machined hole. It was developed for weld
Third body friction welding is a useful technique for repair of alloys that are difficult to fusion weld or are in
joining dissimilar materials which cannot normally be a hazardous environment. By placing overlapping friction
joined by conventional friction welding. In this process, taper plugs into the material, linear features (such as
one component is rotated and plunged into a hole in cracks) can also be repaired. This is known as Friction
the second component, into which a third material has Taper Stitch welding.

Schematic diagrams of the above welding processes

12
DIFFUSION BONDING
CONVENTIONAL DIFFUSION BONDING successful development of titanium compact heat
Titanium is the easiest of all common engineering exchangers.
materials to join by diffusion bonding, due to its ability
to dissolve its own oxide at bonding temperatures.
Diffusion Bonding
Conventional diffusion bonding is a slow process, and
requires careful control of temperature, and joint face
Advantages
alignment. The process also needs to be undertaken in
• Limited microstructural changes
a vacuum. Under ideal conditions a bond of very high
• Can join dissimilar Ti alloys
quality can be made with no flash formation. However,
• No filler required
the process is slow, and requires considerable precision,
• Can fabricate very complex shapes,
making it unattractive for field use, although it has been
especially using superplastic forming
widely used in the aerospace industry, in particular in
conjunction with superplastic forming. The process,
Disadvantages
including superplastic forming, is also used in the
• Slow
• High vacuum required
• Expensive equipment

Rolls Laval’s diffusion bonded compact heat exchanger Rolls Royce’s SPFDB front fan blade for the Trent 800

ELECTRON BEAM DIFFUSION BONDING without the risk of plastic collapse of the components
This process is a variant of diffusion bonding in which being welded, resulting in a significant reduction of
only the interface region is heated, resulting in a welding time, typically by an order of magnitude. The
considerable energy saving. The heating source is an process has been investigated for joining several titanium
electron beam which is swept over the area of the joint aluminide alloys to themselves and other titanium alloys,
at such a speed that fusion of the titanium alloy is and for joining titanium alloys. Very good results have
prevented. A force is applied across the joint. As the been reported from these trials, but to date the process
heated area is very limited, higher forces can be used has not been used commercially.

13
FORGE WELDING PROCESSES
FLASH BUTT WELDING this high current pulse is passed across a closely butted
Flash welding is a forge welding process in which weld joint, causing a resistance weld to be made. A high
heat is generated by resistance when a large current is axial load is also applied, causing softened material to
passed across the surfaces to be joined. During the initial be expelled. Neither of the components has to be
flashing stage points of contact resistance heat, melt rotated, and no shielding gas is required. Trials have been
and blow out of the joint as the faces are progressively undertaken on titanium, apparently successfully, but
moved together at a predetermined rate. When a critical results have yet to be published.
metal displacement has been reached the faces are
forged together rapidly to consolidate the weld. EXPLOSIVE BONDING
Explosive bonding should be considered for
The process has been used for many years for the applications when a thin uniform lining of titanium is
required on a base metal. The technique is regularly used
for the production of high pressure tubeplates for tube
Flash Butt Welding and shell heat exchangers, reaction vessels, chlorine
generators, and for lined plant and ductwork subject to
Advantages negative pressure. In the process, thin titanium sheet is
• Very rapid weld time placed at a closely controlled distance on top of a backing
• Single shot process plate. Explosive spread uniformly on top of the titanium
is detonated from a single point, the explosion driving
Disadvantages the titanium down across the air gap to impact on the
• Flash removal required backing metal. A jet of surface oxides is expressed from
• Inspection may be difficult the apex of the collapse angle formed, and this removes
any residual contamination from the mating surfaces,
producing a metallurgical bond of wave-like form and
production of aeroengine stator rings, and with suitable guaranteed shear strength. The continuity of the bond
equipment is capable of joining pipe and other extruded can be confirmed ultrasonically. All low to medium
sections of any configuration. Properties close to those strength titanium grades, (ASTM 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 16, 17,
of the parent metal are obtained from substantially defect 26, 27), can be bonded typically down to 2mm (.08
free joints. inch) thick onto a variety of ferrous or non ferrous backing
plates, nominally 12.7mm (.5 inch) or thicker. Plates have
HOMOPOLAR WELDING been produced up to 3.5 metres (137 inch) diameter or
Homopolar welding is a new method currently under 15 sq. metres area (160 sq. ft.).
development in the USA, where it has been developed
primarily for welding pipes. Kinetic energy stored in a
flywheel is rapidly converted to a high direct current low
voltage electrical pulse using a homopolar generator, and

The explosive bonding process Cross-section of an explosively bonded steel to titanium joint.

14
BRAZING
CONVENTIONAL BRAZING
Titanium alloys have been brazed successfully using refractory metal joints are possible. Complex
silver, aluminium and titanium alloy braze metals. configurations can be joined, limited only by the necessity
Although there are many variants, only vacuum brazing to maintain closely abutting joint faces.
has significant application for titanium due to the
Titanium brazed with a silver braze metal.
requirement to protect the base metal from oxidation.
However, development work has been performed in the
use of sliver chloride-lithium fluoride fluxes and TIG
brazing has proven successful in some applications. Silver
alloy brazes were the first to be applied to titanium and
commercially pure silver, silver alloys with copper and
manganese, and silver–copper alloys with zinc and tin
have all shown some success. Although joints tend to
have good ductility, strength is poor at elevated
temperatures and corrosion resistance is poor in
chloride-containing environments. However, the silver
alloy braze metals have liquidus temperatures below the
beta transus of alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, thus the brazing
cycle will have little or no effect on the base metal TRANSIENT LIQUID PHASE BONDING
microstructure and properties. The use of aluminium- This process has been described as a diffusion
silicon fillers also enables low temperature brazing to be bonding process, but transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding
performed, with the added benefit of decreased weight. has more in common with brazing than diffusion bonding.
It is crucial, however, to maintain as short a braze cycle An interlayer, or melting point suppressant, is placed
as possible to minimise the formation of brittle between the joint faces prior to heating in a vacuum.
intermetallics. The interlayer material is chosen to react with the base
metal, forming a eutectic liquid at the joining
temperature. The reaction progresses until the liquid
Brazing metal resolidifies isothermally, leaving a joint
microstructurally similar to the base metal. Pure nickel
Advantages and copper, and copper-nickel alloy interlayers have
• Complex geometry’s can be joined shown good performance for joining titanium alloys. A
• Dissimilar metal joints are possible further benefit of the process over conventional brazing
is the reduced weight of the structures, since only a very
Disadvantages thin interlayer is required. However, a significant
• Slow, unless batch processing is possible perpendicular load must be applied to the components
• Must be performed in a vacuum to maintain good surface contact during the bonding
• Galvanic corrosion may limit application process.

SOLDERING
Titanium alloy brazing alloys are by far the most Titanium is extremely difficult to solder because of
common for joining titanium, the most available the same properties that confer its superb corrosion
commercial alloys being titanium-copper-nickel alloys. resistance - the tenacity and stability of its surface oxide.
These offer high strength and good corrosion resistance, Conventional soldering methods depend on aggressive
but the most readily available alloy (Ti-15Cu-15Ni) fluxes to allow the solder alloy to wet the surface of the
requires brazing at temperatures over 1000°C (1830°F). base metal. None of the conventional fluxes is effective
A Ti-20Cu-20Ni alloy and amorphous Ti-Zr-Cu-Ni braze for titanium and so the surface is typically precoated
foil have been developed for brazing at lower with a more compatible metal, such as copper, by PVD
temperatures (850 and 950°C, (1560 - 1740°F) or sputter coating. It is also possible to ‘tin’ the surface
respectively). These have advantages for application with of the titanium by extended immersion in a molten tin
Ti-6Al-4V. For the highest temperature joint applications, bath at 600°C (1110°F); the titanium oxide is adsorbed
palladium based alloys have been used although brazing by the base metal, allowing the tin to wet a non-oxidised
must also be performed at high temperatures. surface. Some success has also been reported in the
use of molten silver or tin halides, which react with the
The brazing process offers the capability of dissimilar oxide surface to produce a tin or silver coating; and in
metal joining, using a silver alloy braze metal. Dissimilar the use of conventional fluxes whilst disrupting the
titanium alloy and titanium to ferrous, nickel and surface oxide with an ultrasonic soldering iron.

15
ADHESIVE BONDING
Adhesive bonding provides an alternative to welding, Adhesive Bonding
particularly for joining sheet material and for joints
between titanium and non-metals such as polymer Advantages
composites. The use of adhesives is often a viable • Rapid
alternative or companion process (i.e. hybrid bonding) • Titanium to polymer/composite joints are
to resistance spot welding in joints designed to possible
experience predominantly shear stresses in service.
Factors such as the service environment dominate the Disadvantages
selection of adhesive, but this subject is too complex to • Poor performance in peel
discuss in detail in this publication. The high strength of • Application is limited for most corrosive
modern structural adhesives is entirely appropriate to environment
the use of bonded titanium in structural applications,
although careful pre-treatment of the bond surfaces is recommended that technical consultation is sought for
critical for achieving maximum properties. It is strongly advice on all aspects of the bonding process.

Adhesively bonded carbon fibre composite/ titanium wishbone

of a Williams formula one racing car. Close up of joint

MECHANICAL FASTENING
Mechanical joining processes for titanium include all of galvanic corrosion, non titanium fasteners can be used
types of fastener, many of which are routinely provided they are insulated from the titanium using
manufactured in titanium and widely used in the suitable gaskets.
aerospace industry. Non-titanium fasteners in materials
of lower corrosion resistance compared to titanium may Other mechanical jointing methods such as lock
be used where no danger of galvanic corrosion is present, seaming (e.g. in automotive exhaust box manufacture)
or where the fastening is totally isolated from the and overlap joints, (used for architectural panels) are
corrosive environment.In environments which pose a risk limited to the more ductile grades of the metal and its
alloys.
Both lock seaming and welding are used in the manufacture
Selection of titanium bolts, fasteners and captive nuts of titanium exhaust systems

16
JOINING TITANIUM TO OTHER
MATERIALS
Titanium is incompatible with most other metals and successful dissimilar bonding technologies. Explosive
will form brittle compounds if fusion welded directly to bonding has also been used to form transition joints
them. Indeed the only commercial alloys that can be between titanium and ferrous alloys, for example titanium
directly fusion welded to titanium are those based on pipe to stainless steel flange joints.
zirconium, niobium and certain other refractory alloys.
More common structural materials, such as all ferrous The following table is intended to highlight generic
and aluminium alloys, are invariably unsuitable for direct processes that may be capable of fabricating joints
fusion welding to titanium. Several novel joining between titanium and other materials. These will normally
techniques have been adopted for making dissimilar require particular practices to be adopted to achieve a
joints, but the range of possibilities is too vast to address satisfactory joint. The suitability of the various processes
here in any detail. Many of the welding processes will depend on the components to be joined and the
discussed in the preceding sections can be applied to properties required and it is strongly recommended that
dissimilar material joints between titanium and other technical consultation be sought prior to finalising a
metals. Indeed, explosively bonded titanium clad steel component design incorporating dissimilar joints.
and Resista-Clad TM plate are prime examples of

Joining processes that may be capable of forming sound joints between titanium and other materials.

EB Laser Friction1 Adhesives Explosive Resistance Brazing

bonding welding
Steel ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Stainless Steel ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Nickel alloy ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔
Refractory ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔
metals
Copper ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Aluminium ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Cobalt alloy ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔
Ceramics ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
Polymer ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✖
composites

Notes 1 Does not indicate that all friction processes are appropriate for a given dissimilar joint.

CAUTION: GALVANIC CORROSION Titanium is highly corrosion resistant, and can accelerate the corrosion of dissimilar
metals when coupled to a less noble metal. In addition to accelerated corrosion, when such a galvanic couple exists,
hydrogen can be taken up by the titanium, leading in some circumstances to hydride cracking and failure. Alloys which
occupy a similar position in the galvanic series as titanium may be safely coupled to titanium in environments which
would not ordinarily lead to corrosion of the uncoupled base metal. For example duplex and super-austenitic stainless
steel, and Ni-Cr-Mo alloys can often be safely coupled to titanium. However, it is recommended that specific technical
advice is sought for any given operating environment and dissimilar joint. Further details on simple mechanical couplings
can be found in TIG Data Sheet No 6.

SELECTION OF A WELDING
PROCESS
The foregoing sections have provided a brief enables significant productivity gains for a low capital
summary of the characteristics of the various joining investment, while achieving similar or greater quality to
processes that can be used to weld titanium structures. that achievable using TIG welding. More ‘exotic’
Most fabrication is performed by TIG welding and this processes such as power beam and friction welding
is unlikely to change, however it is crucial to the should also be considered, since even if no in-house
production of low cost titanium components that higher capability exists, work can often be subcontracted to
productivity, more cost effective processes be experienced fabricators.
considered where possible. For example, PAW often
17
17
WORKSHOP PRACTICE IN-CHAMBER WELDING
This section concentrates mainly on the practical skills Welding chambers are typically restricted to the
and workshop methods that are required to manufacture fabrication of smaller components. Although the use of
welds of the highest quality. Most of these guidelines a chamber can be quite cumbersome and requires
apply to all processes, while others are more appropriate significant operator skill, complete protection of the weld
to either fusion or solid state welding. Greatest attention root and cap is provided regardless of joint geometry or
is paid to the arc welding processes, since those having component complexity. Rigid chambers are typically
to weld titanium for the first time are most likely to use either box section or domed and either constructed
these techniques. mostly from clear plastic, or incorporate several clear
viewing panels. Flexible enclosures can also be employed
WORKSHOP LAYOUT and, due to their reduced cost, are particularly suitable
It is preferable for a separate area to be set aside for for the occasional welding of titanium. It is essential that
titanium fabrication, provided that there is sufficient work the air content within the chamber is reduced to a very
to justify the additional expense. If this is not possible, low level, prior to commencing welding.
extreme care should be taken to segregate materials. Fabricators who frequently weld in chambers are advised
Titanium is similar in appearance to stainless steel and to use an oxygen meter to continuously sample the
the consequences of using a ferrous filler wire in a chamber environment (this should be <20-30ppm). For
titanium joint could be very costly. The entire working occasional use, where the cost of an oxygen meter may
area should be kept clean to avoid any contamination not be justified, the chamber environment can be tested
during welding. Likewise, the working space should be by placing a weld bead on a scrap piece of titanium; if
absolutely dry. Water is a potential source of oxygen and the weld is not discoloured then a low enough air content
hydrogen and all equipment, jigs, fixtures etc. should be in the chamber has been achieved.
free from moisture. If equipment is found to be wet, the
safest means of drying out is to use a hot air blast or a
volatile solvent such as acetone. The fume produced
when titanium is welded is not harmful to health.
Consequently, extraction systems should be designed Flexible enclosure (Huntingdon Fusion Techniques)
to keep the general area clean without producing
noticeable draughts at the point of welding. Screens or
curtains should be used to reduce draughts locally.

INERT GAS PROTECTION

The affinity of hot titanium for gases such as oxygen,
nitrogen and hydrogen, and its embrittlement by these
gases when absorbed, means that inert gas protection
(or vacuum) is essential during welding. Conventionally,
protection is afforded to the weld bead and heat affected
region whilst hot, enough to cause oxidation.

In-chamber welding (Vickers Aerospace Components)

18
OPEN AIR WELDING
The requirement for additional gas shielding of both Protection of the weld cap is routinely achieved by
the back-face and cap regions during open-air welding the use of a trailing shield, however in certain
is the only significant factor which differentiates titanium circumstances, such as a TIG root pass in a deep groove,
from most stainless steel fabrications. There are, the use of an appropriate gas lens on the welding torch
however, many commercial solutions for the protection can achieve satisfactory results. Whilst no hard and fast
of titanium weldments, making both linear and rule can be stated, the ceramic nozzle is suitable for TIG
circumferential welds quite straightforward. Greater welding currents up to about 35 amps and the annular
experience is necessary for more difficult configurations, gas lens for currents up to about 90 amps. It is stressed
but many commercial fabricators weld more or less that this depends on a favourable joint geometry, allowing
complex shapes on a regular basis. the torch shielding gas to flood the joint and provide
gas protection away from the torch. Welding at higher
Conventional back purging techniques, as used for currents or anything other than slow traverse speeds,
high quality stainless steel welding, are commonly should be carried out with a trailing shield attached to
adopted for titanium. Straight runs employ a grooved the torch. The argon supply to this shield is via a separate
backing bar which is purged with a moderate gas flow. supply rather than by diverting a proportion of the torch
For more complex configurations aluminium or copper argon. The body of the shield can be made from copper
foil can be taped to the underside forming the necessary or aluminium if lightness is important and should
channel for the gas purge. In this instance, care must be incorporate a stainless steel woven mesh gauze for
taken to prevent the foil coming into contact with the diffusing the gas stream. The design of a successful
hot titanium. Purging dams or bladders are used to trailing shield requires experience, but proven
protect the underside of circumferential welds, or difficult commercial products are available for circumferential,
to access regions. It is important that sufficient time is fillet and straight welding. Their length and width depends
allowed during back purging to reduce the air content in on the welding process: MIG and automatic TIG welding
the purged region to very low levels. No hard and fast require longer trailing shields than for manual TIG since
rule exists for purge time, since this depends largely on traverse speeds are greater. Heat resistant glass may be
the purged volume, its complexity and the flow rate of employed instead of metal for shields where better
visibility is required.
Purging bladders (Huntingdon Fusion Techniques)
Trailing shields (Huntingdon Fusion Techniques

argon. Use of an oxygen meter is advised in most

instances to ensure that oxygen content of the purge Despite the high reactivity of titanium, shielding gases
gas is lower than approximately 20ppm prior to are not normally required for friction welding. Material
commencing welding. The cost of solid state oxygen contaminated by exposure to air is pushed into the flash,
meters capable of reading to these low levels has and can be removed. There will be some surface
dropped in recent years and the capital investment can discoloration close to the weld, but the depth of
be quickly recouped by a reduced use of argon, rework contamination is very small. If the application is critical,
and scrapped components. If possible welding should it may be advisable to remove this material after welding.
be performed with touching root faces, since a root gap An exception to the lack of requirement for shielding
makes purging of the underside significantly more gases occurs when processes are used which develop
difficult. If a root gap is unavoidable then, where there is little or no flash. Friction stir welding of titanium requires
access to the underside, a root side gas shield’ similar a high quality gas shield.
to that used for protecting the weld cap (discussed
below), is the best solution. If access is limited, then
aluminium or copper foil can be taped over the top face
and removed ahead of the torch during the completion
of the root weld pass.
19
PREPARATION OF THE JOINT FOR WELDING
The need for care and planning at the materials faces should not be welded. Experience has shown that
preparation stage cannot be over emphasised. this cutting technique which produces a smeared edge
Frequently, where problems have been reported with leads to excessive weld metal porosity.
titanium fabrications, all or part of the cause can be
traced to this stage. The correct preparation of the weld MACHINING
joints is essential for arc welding, diffusion bonding, The following techniques are suitable for the preparation
resistance welding and brazing, although friction welds of titanium joints:
are typically more forgiving.
(a) Turning, milling and planing: The surface obtained by
GEOMETRY OF WELD PREPARATIONS: conventional machining processes such a lathe-
For TIG welding, a square-cut edge can be used for turning, milling and planing are suitable for welding
all butt or corner welds in thin gauge sheet and tube with no additional cleaning other than degreasing to
where the thickness does not exceed 1mm. Rough edges remove cutting lubricants. Care is needed to ensure
with burrs are difficult to set up and can result in high that the metal is not overheated during the machining
levels of weld porosity. Thicker sheet and tube should operation and that other (non machined) surfaces
be provided with a V-preparation with the 90º included to be welded are not oxidised.
angle V terminating in a 0.6mm root face. By this means (b) Grinding: This technique is widely used for preparing
it is possible to achieve consistent penetration during the edges of medium and thick material for welding.
the first weld run. Experience has shown that The aim should be to produce the smoothest, most
commercially pure titanium gives lower weld penetration regular profile possible with the scratch lines running
than Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Thus, although the difference is not along the line of the weld and never across it. If
as extreme as is commonly found between different overheating of the material occurs it will be evident
casts of stainless steels, joint designs should be qualified from discoloration. Whenever practicable, grinding
for the titanium grade to be welded. For plate welding at should be followed by draw filing, or any other
more than 6mm thickness, a simple open V can give technique which improves the smoothness and
rise to unacceptable distortion due to thermal stresses. profile of the weld and ensures that any grinding
In this case a machined J-preparation is used in which particles are removed.
the angle of the sides is as steep as possible consistent (c) Linishing: Belt or disc finishers are suitable for edge
with achieving complete side-wall fusion. As a guide, preparation of medium gauge components. A 100
the total included angle should be not greater than 65º grit grade of paper can be used for most purposes.
and not less than 45º. A double V-preparation is an Linishing is a relatively slow operation which produces
acceptable alternative to the J-preparation when there fine dust and is expensive on consumables. However,
is access to both sides of the weld. it is very flexible and can give excellent results.
(d) Draw filing: Preparations made by grinding can be
Preparations that are suitable for TIG welding are also improved by draw filing. A fine toothed flat file is
generally appropriate for MIG and plasma when operated drawn repeatedly along the metal surface, an
in the conduction-limited mode. Keyhole plasma welding operation which removes minor irregularities. Filing
requires only a simple square butt penetration for requires skill and the use of a clean file or it can
thicknesses up to approximately 18mm (.7”). Thicker worsen rather than improve the surface
material can be prepared as for TIG welding, but with a (e) Scratch brushing: Surfaces can be scratch brushed
root face up to 15mm, and filled by PAW or TIG. Electron to remove any residual contamination. With stainless
beam, laser and most friction welds require simple butt steel brushes there is a slight risk of iron pick up and
geometry. titanium brushes should be used for critical
applications.
CUTTING
Any thickness of titanium can be cut with It is usual to machine the abutting surface of a friction
conventional flame cutting equipment. However, it must weld before welding. It is not necessary to have great
be remembered that contamination of the metal with accuracy in the finish, although a good square set up is
oxygen will result in hardening of the metal adjacent of usually needed. Since there is always a loss of length
the cut edges. Thus a size tolerance of +6mm, (.25”) due to burn-off into the flash, there is little point in
should be allowed for subsequent cleaning up. Plasma machining overall lengths to any precision. This should
arc cutting or the use of lasers are possible alternative be done after welding, when the flash must also be
techniques to the oxyacetylene process. As-cut surfaces removed. Much greater precision is required for diffusion
should not be welded before the joint faces are finished bonding and, to a lesser extent, brazing since good fit-
using a machining technique capable of giving a non- up of the joint faces is essential to the success of these
contaminated good quality surface. As-guillotined joint joining methods.

20
 Machined joint faces and material likely to be fused fingermarks and general dirt from the surface of
(i.e. nearby material on the joint underside and top face), titanium components. It should be ensured that the
should be cleaned and degreased prior to welding to tanks are not located too near to the welding area
remove any cutting fluids or grease. nor that components are transferred immediately
from the tank to the welding booth because of the
PICKLING risk of phosgene formation. Trichlorethylene should
Acid pickling can be used to remove oxygen regularly be checked for HCl acidity.
contaminated metal from the surface of titanium. It is (b) Liquid: Small components can be degreased by
also useful for removing any surface iron contamination immersion in, for example, acetone or isopropyl
that may be present from machining. Pickling solutions alcohol. Larger items can be cleaned by wiping with
are typically aqueous solutions of hydrofluoric (48% lint free cloths or tissues soaked in the solvent. Under
concentration) and nitric acid (70% concentration). The no circumstances should methanol be employed as
acid ratio should always be maintained between 1:5 and a degreasing agent.
1:9 (5%HF/35%HNO3 has been found to be an effective
solution). Pickling should be carried out at room Once components have been degreased, the surfaces
temperature, for 1-5 minutes depending on the activity must be handled only with clean gloves and preferably
of the bath. If the surface of the metal is dirty or oily, not at all: bare hands, even ostensibly clean ones, deposit
degreasing or aquablasting must precede pickling or the a surprising amount of grease and salt.
acid dissolution will be non-uniform producing a pitted
effect. CLAMPING AND FIXTURES
Clamps and fixtures for arc welding should be
PREWELD CLEANING designed to minimise distortion and, where necessary,
The surface of the weld preparation and adjoining incorporate the purging system required to protect the
metal is critical to the quality of the joint and should be underside of the weldment.
scrupulously clean prior to welding. The surface should
be inspected to see whether a final hand finishing For conventional rotary friction welds, the rotating
operation is necessary, e.g. to smooth out rough part is normally held in a three jaw chuck, although special
machining marks and remove slivers of metal. The tooling may be required for the non-rotating part if it is
smoothness of abutting edges is particularly important not axially symmetrical. For linear friction welding, special
for reduced porosity in arc welds and diffusion bonds. tooling specific to the component is always required.
Vapour and liquid degreasing methods are applicable for The tooling for the reciprocating component must be
titanium alloys. designed with care in order to minimise the weight and
(a) Vapour: Immersion tanks based on trichlorethylene hence inertia of the system, which will have to change
vapour are effective in removing grease, oil, direction typically 100 times every second.

ARC WELDING TECHNIQUE tungsten loss while above 80º arc initiation is difficult
and the arc has a tendency to wander. Should the
POWER SOURCES AND TORCHES electrode touch the weld both must be carefully examined
Titanium and its alloys can be welded with most before restarting. Any tungsten in the weld, no matter
conventional welding power sources and torches. For how small must be excavated.
TIG welding a power source equipped with a non-contact
arc strike facility is essential to prevent tungsten SELECTION OF WELDING PARAMETERS
contamination of the weld, which occurs if a touch down TIG, PAW and MIG welds can be made using a variety
technique is employed. The power source must also be of current/speed combinations, the differences being the
capable of breaking the arc on completion of a weld result of operator preference. However, it is worth
run, without stopping the inert gas flow, or weld metal remembering that the aim should be to achieve a good
contamination by air may occur at the weld stop position. bead shape with minimum heat input. In that way,
distortion and argon shielding problems will be minimised.
TUNGSTEN ELECTRODE TIG and plasma welding are best achieved with direct
The choice of electrode composition and diameter current electrode negative (DCEN) polarity and, for MIG
is no different than for TIG welding stainless steels and welding, pulsed operation is generally preferred.
is influenced by the requirements for electrode longevity, Suggested welding parameters are given in the table,
ease of arc initiation and stability. A simple 60º cone although these should be used as a guideline only.
gives satisfactory results for most manual TIG welding.
With angles less than 40º there is a greater risk of

21
SHIELDING GASES
For most purposes, the commercial grade of argon should be used to supply gas for welding less sensitive
may be used for welding titanium, although productivity metals. Bulk supplies of argon have much lower moisture
can be enhanced through the use of argon-helium contents. Where an on-site gas tank is used to supply
mixtures or pure helium. The use of helium-containing several welding stations gas purifiers, moisture and
gases has particular advantages for MIG welding since oxygen meters can be connected to the main feed line
spatter can be reduced considerably. Commercially to provide overall quality assurance.
available cylinders of welding grade argon and helium
are of sufficient purity for all welding operations, however Inadequate shielding of the weld cap can occur when
care should be taken to ensure that non-permeable hoses argon flow from the torch is either too low so that all the
are used for all attachments to ensure that moisture is air is not displaced, or too high so that turbulence occurs.
not incorporated into the shielding gas. If cylinders are Some experimentation on off-cuts of material may be
used it is inevitable that they will contain a small amount needed to establish the most suitable conditions.
of moisture. This level is extremely low when the gas Keeping a record of values used on previous work
cylinder is full, but as the pressure in the cylinder drops, eventually helps to reduce the time spent in setting up.
so the moisture content rises. There is some justification It is advised that a gas lens be used to maintain a lamellar
for using gas from a cylinder for welding titanium only gas flow. This applies equally to the gas flow rate for
until the pressure has fallen to ~25bar, after which it trailing shields, although the minimum flow rate will
depend on the size of the shield.

Suggested welding parameters for automatic TIG and MIG welding titanium (1/16” = 1.6mm)
TIG (GTA) without filler TIG (GTA) with filler MIG (GMA)
Gauge, in 0.030 0.060 0.090 0.060 0.090 0.125 0.125 0.250 0.500 0.625
1 1 1
Electrode diameter, in /16 /16 /16-3/32 1
/16 1
/16-3/32 3
/32-1/8 1
/16 1
/16 1
/16 1
/16
1 1 1
Filler wire diameter, in - - - /16 /16 /16 - - - -
Wire feed rate, ipm - - - 22 22 20 200-225 300-320 375-400 400-425
Voltage, V 10 10 12 10 12 12 20 30 40 45
Amps, A 25-30 90-100 190-200 120-130 200-210 220-230 250-260 300-320 340-360 350-370
Nozzle ID, in ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾-1 ¾-1 ¾-1 ¾-1
Torch shield, cfh 15Ar 15Ar 20Ar 15Ar 20Ar 20Ar 50Ar+ 50Ar+ 50Ar+ 50Ar+
15He 15He 15He 15He
Trailing shield, cfh 20Ar 30Ar 50Ar 40Ar 50Ar 50Ar 50Ar 50Ar 60Ar 60Ar
Backing gas, cfh 4Ar 4Ar 5Ar 5Ar 6Ar 6Ar 30Ar 50Ar 60Ar 60Ar
Travel speed, ipm 10 10 10 12 12 10 15 15 15 15
Power supply DCEN DCEN DCEN DCEN DCEN DCEN DCEP DCEP DCEP DCEP

Suggested Welding parameters for PAW welding titanium

Welding Orifice and Welding Arc

Thickness technique Nozzle Orifice shielding gas current, A* voltage, V Travel speed Filler wire feed**

Diameter Flow
in. mm in. mm cfh l/min ipm mm/s ipm mm/s

0.008 0.20 Melt-in 0.030 0.76 0.5 2.3 Ar 5 - 5 2.1 - -

0.015 0.38 Melt-in 0.030 0.76 0.5 2.3 Ar 6 - 5 2.1 - -
0.125 3.18 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 9 42 Ar 150 24 15 6.3 40 16.9
0.188 4.78 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 10-12 47-57 Ar 175 30 15 6.3 42 17.8
0.250 6.35 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 16 76 Ar 160 30 12 5.1 45 19
0.313 7.95 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 15 71 Ar 172 30 12 5.1 48 20.3
0.390 9.92 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 32 151 He+25Ar 225 38 10 4.2 - -
0.500 12.7 Keyhole 0.136 3.45 27 127 He+50Ar 270 36 10 4.2 - -

*
Notes: Direct current electrode negative
**
0.062inch (1.6mm) diameter wire

22
 Backing gas flow rates depend largely on the volume Under normal circumstances, the grade of filler wire
being filled. Flow rates for backing bars will normally be will be identical with that of the parent material. Thus,
lower than those for the torch. Similarly, backing gas flow when two grade 2 components are to be welded, a grade
rates for a dammed pipe are limited by the magnitude 2 filler wire should be used. Where some atmospheric
of the positive pressure maintained inside the pipe. The contamination can be anticipated, for example on
pressure must not be too great or the weld root may be positional welds in pipework, or where specifications
‘pushed’ in, giving a concave profile. Sufficient time must impose low hardness differences between weld bead
be allowed for the argon to sweep all air out of the and parent metal, a softer grade of wire such as grade 1
backing volume, and this will vary according to the exact can be employed. However, on no account should the
volume and flow rates used. Typically, a greater flow rate use of a softer filler be used as a substitute for good
is used when purging a dammed area. Where a backing shielding practice. Welds between different grades of
bar is used, localised oxidation can result from either an commercially pure titanium can be made using filler of
inadequate purge time or excessive argon flow rate. A either composition. The choice will depend on which is
similar effect can be caused by a badly fitting jig or by the most important property of the weld, strength or
impure argon. ductility.

Strong air currents can reduce the efficiency of even For welds in Ti-6A1-4V, TIG welding with a matching
well designed argon shields and should thus be avoided. filler metal can lead to a reduction in ductility in the weld-
Screens may be used indoors to minimise the effect of because of metallurgical changes within the structure.
draughts while for on-site work, a polythene sheet tent This can be overcome to some extent by the use of Ti-
or other draught proof enclosure may be necessary. 6Al-4V ELI, extra low interstitial grade wire. Joints
between low and higher alloy titanium grades (e.g. Ti-
SELECTION OF FILLER WIRE 6Al-4V to CP) should be considered carefully, particularly
Filler wires are produced for a wide range of titanium where postweld heat treatment is employed, as
alloys, and those for grades 2 (CP) and 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) are hydrogen embrittlement can be more likely.
readily available to AWS specifications in straight lengths
and spools. The expedient of cutting strips from sheet When the arc is extinguished the tip of the filler wire
to provide filler material is one which may prove far from should remain, with the weld, in the argon stream from
satisfactory. Wire for welding is made to a specification the torch until both are sufficiently cool not to oxidise. If
which includes composition, dimensions, surface quality filler wire does accidentally become oxidised, the
and cleanliness. Edge slittings are unlikely to conform in contaminated end must be removed before welding is
all these aspects and their use without great care may recommenced.
prove troublesome.

Titanium welding electrode compositions

AWS Wire
Classification ASTM Grade Composition, wt.%
C O H N Al V Fe Other Ti
*
ERTi-1 1 0.03 0.10 0.008 0.012 - - 0.10 - Rem.
ERTi-2 1 0.05 0.10 0.008 0.020 - - 0.20 - Rem
ERTi-3 2 0.05 0.10-0.15 0.008 0.020 - - 0.20 - Rem
ERTi-4 2,3,4 0.05 0.15-0.25 0.008 0.020 - - 0.30 - Rem
ERTi-0.2Pd 7,16,17,11 0.05 0.15 0.008 0.020 - - 0.20 Pd 0.12-0.25 Rem
ERTi-3Al-2.5V 9 0.05 0.12 0.008 0.020 2.5-3.5 2.0-3.0 0.25 - Rem
ERTi-3Al-2.5V-ELI* 9 0.04 0.10 0.005 0.012 2.5-3.5 2.0-3.0 0.15 - Rem
ERTi-6Al-4V 5 0.05 0.15 0.008 0.020 5.5-6.75 3.5-4.5 0.25 - Rem
ERTi-6Al-4V-ELI* 5,23 0.04 0.10 0.005 0.012 5.5-6.75 3.5-4.5 0.15 - Rem
ERTi-12 12 0.03 0.25 0.008 0.020 - - 0.30 Mo 0.2-0.4
Ni 0.6-0.9 Rem
Notes:* This classification of filler metal restricts the allowable interstitial content to a low level so that the high toughness required for cryo-
genic applications and other special uses can be obtained in the deposited weld metal.

23
TACK WELDING RESISTANCE WELDING TECHNIQUE
Tack welds are used to fix parts into the correct Equipment and technique are very similar to those
relative position before welding. Since the tack is required for austenitic stainless steels. As with fusion
eventually incorporated into the weld, it must be shielded welding techniques, the quality of the joints depends
to the same high standard as the weld itself. Tacks may largely on the cleanliness of the joint surfaces, which
be used in conjunction with a root gap i.e. where the should be free of grease oil and other contaminants.
edges of the weld are deliberately set slightly apart to Similarly, an oxidised surface, even one which is only
assist in achieving uniform penetration. A tapering root lightly discoloured, should be ground or scratch brushed
gap, wider at the finish end, can be set to counteract with a titanium or stainless steel brush, prior to welding.
the scissor effect caused by weld contraction. Pickling achieves the lowest contact resistance, but
mechanical cleaning methods are more than adequate
MULTIPASS WELDING for the production of sound joints. Gas shielding is not
The initial pass of a multipass weld will generally be typically necessary, since contamination is minor as a
autogenous with only minor filler additions to correct result of the very rapid thermal cycle. However,
for small variations. It is advisable to X-ray the weld at metallographic and mechanical testing should always be
this stage if work is being carried out to radiographic used to determine if shielding is required for a given
standards since porosity and lack of fusion defects are combination of parameters, materials, requirements and
more often associated with this first pass than with machine.
subsequent runs.
The face of resistance welding electrodes should have
Bright silvery coloured welds which have been a domed profile, rather than the truncated cone profile
correctly shielded do not require any attention before favoured for some other materials, to prevent excessive
laying subsequent passes onto them. indentation of the titanium.

Heat build up from previous weld runs can lead to Guideline spot welding parameters are given in the
surface contamination on subsequent passes. In extreme Table for Ti-6Al-4V, although the required parameters for
cases, the only solution may be to leave the work to a given job depends on many factors and the values in
cool before further welding is carried out. Another the table should only be regarded as a starting point
approach is to make any long welds in shorter sections. when establishing procedures. For seam welding, an
In addition to helping with cooling, sequence welding appreciably greater welding load should be applied than
can also be effective in reducing distortion. Interpass is necessary for spot welding (3 times the spot welding
temperatures up to 500oC, depending on circumstances, load is typically a good starting point for welding trials).
can be used for commercial purity titanium and Ti-6Al- Current and on/off cycle ratios should be determined by
4V. This ensures that heat build up of the work piece trial and error. Care must be taken when evaluating the
does not reduce the effectiveness of the shielding welds to ensure that good overlap is achieved between
arrangements, which are typically based on single pass successive weld nuggets. Weld penetration is normally
welds. high but the grain coarsened HAZ can easily be mistaken
for the nugget zone.

Guideline parameters for spot welding Ti-6Al-4V.

Parameters for spot welding (1 inch = 25.4mm; 1lb = 0.454 kg)
Sheet thickness (inches) 0.035 0.062 0.070 0.093
5 5
Joint overlap (inches) ½ /8 /8 ¾
Squeeze time (ms) 60 60 60 60
Weld time, cycles 7 10 12 16
Hold time (ms) 60 60 60 60
Electrode force (lbs) 600 1500 1700 2400
Weld current (A) 5500 10600 11500 12500
Cross tensile strength (lbs) 600 1000 1850 2100
Tensile shear strength (lbs) 1720 5000 6350 8400
Ratio C-T/T-S 0.35 0.20 0.29 0.25
Weld diameter (inches) 0.255 0.359 0.391 0.431
Nugget diameter (inches) - 0.331 - -
Weld penetration (%) - 87.3 - -
Electrode indentation (%) - 3.1 - -
Sheet separation (inches) 0.0047 0.0087 0.0079 0.0091
Notes: Electrode type : 3“ (75mm) spherical radius, 5/8” (15.9mm) dia, class 2 copper

24
EVALUATION OF WELD QUALITY
LIKELY DEFECTS RADIOGRAPHY.
Titanium, like all metals, is susceptible to certain Radiography is one of the more useful weld inspection
welding defects. However, the range of possible defects techniques for titanium and its application does not differ
is much less extensive than, say, for ferrous fabrications. substantially from the radiography of other metals, either
Solidification cracking, a common defect in stainless steel in execution or interpretation. Allowance must be made
and aluminium weldments, is not found in Ti-6Al-4V. or for the lower absorption of X-rays than is found with
CP. Likewise, liquation and reheat cracking are not iron or copper. One minor difficulty is that a titanium
encountered in titanium fabrications. Contamination due image quality indicator (IQI) is not available: the
to inadequate gas shielding is one of the more common aluminium IQI is probably the best choice rather than
defects responsible for rework or scrap and applies to iron or copper.
all welding processes with the exception of friction
welding. Tiny pores, irrelevant to many applications, can
be formed in titanium weld metal but careful surface Radiography will reveal:-
preparation will substantially reduce their presence. • tungsten inclusions as sharp white spots
• porosity which shows up as dark spots that usually appear
Most of the defects commonly encountered in circular
• lack of root or sidewall fusion indicated as a dark line or
titanium TIG weldments can be traced to a deviation
area, often with associated porosity
from ideal welding parameters. Molten titanium metal
• cracking, which is evident as a dark line, sometimes angular
is fluid and its combination of low density and high and sharp
surface tension enables good control of the weld surface
profile and penetration. Thus, titanium is more forgiving
in this respect than many other metals, but defects such DESTRUCTIVE TESTS
as lack of fusion, incomplete penetration and underfill The principles used in approval and qualification
are still possible. Porosity can also be encountered in testing of other metals apply equally to titanium but some
titanium weld metal, typically at the fusion boundary. provision is necessary for assessing contamination.
Pores are spherical and between 50-300µm in diameter. Colour should certainly be noted, but is an inadequate
MIG welds are susceptible to similar defects, but are indicator on its own. Transverse tensile tests normally
also prone to spatter. For critical applications, it is will not show contamination, since the weld is usually
important that the parent material be protected using stronger than the parent metal. For plates that are
metal foil or heat resistant fabric. Hydrogen sufficiently thick, results of side bend tests will give a
contamination in the weld or parent material can lead to guide. For thinner plate or sheet, the longitudinal bend
hydride cracking (typically in positions of maximum test is preferable to the transverse, since this gives a
residual stress), but this is typically encountered only direct comparison with base metal performance. Some
when Ar-H shielding gases, used commonly for stainless care is needed, because the weld zone will usually be
less ductile even in the absence of contamination,
steels, are used for titanium fabrication. particularly with some alloys. Comparison should be
made between the weld and HAZ (rather than parent),
Plasma arc welds are susceptible to the same range so as to account for hardening that occurs during the
of defects as TIG welds. Incomplete penetration when weld thermal cycle. Finally, the oxygen and nitrogen
operated in the keyhole mode typically results in gross content of the welds may be analysed to provide a direct
tunnel porosity. Autogenous keyhole plasma welds in measure of any contamination.
thick material typically exhibit a minor amount of underfill,
but this can be readily addressed by applying a PAW or
TIG final pass. One of the major benefits of keyhole
plasma welds is their seeming immunity to weld metal
porosity. Electron beam and laser welds are susceptible
to porosity, voids, underfill, incomplete penetration and Typical bend radii for as-welded titanium
missed seams. Again, the likelihood of these defects is
no greater than for most other metals. A lack of bonding ASTM Alloy type Minimum
is the most common defect in diffusion bonds, brazed Grades bend radius
joints, adhesive bonds and resistance welds.

The most likely defect in a friction weld, and the most 1, (11, 17, 27) CP (+Pd/Ru) 2t
difficult to detect non-destructively, is the so called 2, (16, 7 26) CP (+Pd/Ru) 3t
“kissing bond”, which is a region where intimate contact 3, 4 CP 4t
is made between the two parts of the weld, but where 5, (24) Ti-6A1-4V (+Pd) 10-12t
either the joint is weak or no metallurgical bond exists. 23, (29) Ti-6A1-4V ELI (+Ru) 8-10t
If insufficient flash is generated during welding, the joint 12 Ti-0.7Ni-0.3Mo 5t
can be seriously embrittled, but this can typically be - Ti-6A1-6V-6Sn 16-18t
assessed visually. Porosity is not encountered in friction
welds.

25
VISUAL INSPECTION
Most elements of visual inspection are not unique to
titanium welding: weld bead location, size, shape,
uniformity and penetration. Visual inspection is also
critical for assessing if sufficient flash has been generated
in a friction weld. However, the major application of visual
inspection for titanium weldments is the assessment of
the success or otherwise of the gas shielding
arrangements.This approach makes use of the
interference colours generated by thin layers of surface
oxide in the weld zone. The observed colour changes
with oxide thickness and this effect is utilized to give an
indication of the oxidizing potential of the shielding
arrangements.

Colour Intepretation

Silver Correct shielding, satisfactory

Light straw Slight contamination, but acceptable
Rule of thumb classification of titanium weld colour
Dark straw Slight contamination, but acceptable
Dark blue Heavier contamination, but may be acceptable
depending on service
Light blue Heavy contamination, unlikely to be acceptable
Grey blue Very heavy contamination, unacceptable
Grey Very heavy contamination, unacceptable
White Very heavy contamination, unacceptable

Despite the precautions taken to avoid contamination

it is inevitable that shielding arrangements will
occasionally fail to fully protect the weld. The easiest
and almost universally adopted inspection method is
the monitoring of the colour of the weld surface. This
technique, although appearing straightforward may give
misleading results since the most detrimental form of
contamination, i.e. entrainment of air into the torch
shielding gas, could still give a silver weld if the trailing
shield were to provide good protection. However, if
welds are inspected during welding then contamination
of the electrodes will be noticeable if air has been
entrained into the torch shielding gas. A rule of thumb
guide to interpreting weld zone colour is given in the
table below.

The full sequence of colours is rather complicated,

progressing through first and second order colours,
separated by a dull “silvery hiatus” which itself could
readily be misinterpreted as a contamination-free weld.
The interpretation of weld colour requires extensive
operator training and experienced inspectors are needed
to maintain confidence in the technique.
It should be noted that discoloration away from the
weld bead does not necessarily indicate poor shielding. A pieceof titanium sheet 10mm wide, the lower edge of which
has been heated (in air) showing the effect of progressive
Indeed dark straw to blue ‘tramlines’ parallel to the weld
oxidation and increasing oxide thickness.
bead are commonly encountered in fusion welds.
Work performed at TWI has established the origin of
these features, which are believed to be non-harmful
and are not related to the shielding integrity.

26
TIG welds in commercially pure titanium sheet made with successively greater air contamination of the shielding gas.

DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION

ALTERNATIVES TO THE COLOUR CRITERIA Under normal circumstances, weld cracking is very
Hardness testing and eddy current inspection can be rare with titanium. However, problems can sometimes
used to provide supporting evidence for contamination arise where several weld seams intersect or where
in commercially pure grades of titanium, since contamination has occurred. In these cases, the defects
contaminated welds will exhibit greater hardness and can be detected by dye penetrant inspection, the
resistivity. Portable hardness testing procedures that can technique also being suitable for locating porosity in
be applied in-situ are currently being developed at TWI partly machined welds. It should be noted, however, that
for grade 2 and 5 titanium. The successful application of the dye penetrant must be completely removed prior to
these techniques will allow rejects to be minimised and attempting weld repair.
the highest quality to be achieved.

NOTES FOR FRICTION WELDS

Friction welded components are by definition very
Contamination of TIG electrodes from air entrainment (from difficult to inspect. As the process is only economic for
left to right 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% air in the Ar torch shielding gas) mass produced items, individual inspection of each
. component can seldom be justified. Experience has
shown that, as the process is fully mechanised, and
therefore repeatable, reliance on statistical process
control is normally satisfactory. In this approach, the
tolerance of the process to key welding parameters is
first determined, and much tighter tolerances are then
imposed on the production process. Providing the
process is kept within these tolerance levels, the
probability of getting a poor weld should be very small
indeed. If a parameter is recorded to be just outside the
tolerance range, the weld should still be acceptable, but
this issues a warning that some intervention is required
to return the parameter to its intended setting, and to
investigate the cause for the change.

27
REPAIR OF DEFECTS
proven particularly successful for replacement repair
LOCALISED MINOR REPAIRS
welding, allowing sections to be welded into components
Defects in titanium welds such as isolated tungsten
with minimal distortion and high accuracy. For example,
inclusions and porosity are quite easy to repair. The
flap tracks for the Tornado fighter/bomber aircraft have
affected area is removed by drilling or grinding and
been repaired using this technique.
cleaned prior to filling the hole or depression with the
appropriate filler material, taking care that any metal
TIG weld repair and HVOF surfacing was used to repair slat
added is properly fused into the existing weld metal. tracks on the Tristar aircraft

SEAM REPLACEMENT
Where a line of pores is found by radiography, the
weld can be re-melted up to a maximum of, say, 3 times
subject to a satisfactory contamination check after each
stage. This re-melt will require a higher current than that
used on the original weld but can potentially remove all
or most of the porosity. Should this fail, however, or if
the defect is of a more serious nature, the entire weld
bead must be removed by machining or grinding and
then rewelded. These types of major weld repairs are
usually slow and costly and consideration should be given
to patching or even complete replacement of the items.

REPAIR OF LARGE AREAS REPAIR OF DETAILS

Any substantial areas can be repaired by cutting out Details on components that are damaged either in
and replacing with new material or by welding a patch service or during fabrication are routinely repaired by
over the entire area. Generally, replacement is preferable the build up of weld beads using, for example, TIG
to patching except for the repair of thick sheet with welding. Fine details can be repaired using microplasma
access to only one side, and for the repair of titanium/ welding, allowing the precise positioning of small weld
steel explosively clad plate. Electron beam welding has beads prior to machining to the required geometry.

Indeed, the removal of such defects and subsequent

FURTHER NOTES ON POROSITY weld repair may be more detrimental to fatigue
Weld metal porosity occurs commonly in most performance than the original defect. It is stressed,
materials, including for example nickel alloys and however, that if the weld cap and root are left intact,
stainless steel. Titanium fusion weldments can also then weld metal porosity becomes irrelevant, and
exhibit pores, but under most circumstances they do allowable stresses can be calculated solely on the basis
not have any particular detrimental effects. For example, of the severity of the profile of the weld toe.
pores are typically isolated and less than 0.3mm (.012”)
diameter, and have no discernible consequence for Porosity in titanium fusion welds can be formed for
tensile properties or toughness. Similarly, if the weld cap a variety of reasons, but the most profound influence is
and root profile are left intact (i.e. not ground flush with the condition of the joint surfaces. In principle, final
the parent metal), fatigue life is typically determined by machining of the joint surfaces without aqueous
the severity of the stress concentration at the weld toe lubricants and welding in the same 24h period is advised,
and will not be influenced by the presence or otherwise although acid pickling may be used successfully on ‘old’
of small pores. joint surfaces, provided welding is performed shortly
after the pickling treatment. The joint surfaces should
For some applications, however, all geometry-specific always be carefully degreased.
stress-raisers, such as weld toes, are removed in order
to maximise the fatigue performance of the joints. Under The presence of a hydrated scale and/or surface
these circumstances fatigue strength can be lowered contaminants can be identified during tack welding. If a
significantly by the presence of weld metal pores, discoloured ring has formed within the protection of
especially those near the surface. This is true of most the gas shielded area and surrounds silver weld metal
materials, but the degradation in fatigue life is typically then, if porosity is to be minimised, the joint surfaces
greater for titanium, than, say, steel. Unduly restrictive should be re-prepared. Not all welding processes show
maximum specified pore sizes in welding codes may the same susceptibility to weld metal porosity. Although
not have any profound effect on fatigue performance. TIG, MIG, EB and laser welds often exhibit weld metal

28
pores, keyhole plasma welds are typically pore-free, especially it the two welds are deposited at the same
showing that this latter process has significantly greater time.
tolerance to the condition of the joint surfaces. Weld
metal porosity can of course be completely avoided by PART FIT-UP
using a solid state welding process. Fit-up should be uniform to produce predictable and
consistent shrinkage. Excessive joint gap can also increase
DISTORTION the degree of distortion by increasing the amount of weld
metal needed to fill the joint. The joints should be
Because welding involves highly localised heating of
adequately tacked to prevent relative movement between
joint edges to fuse the material, non-uniform stresses
the parts during welding.
are set up in the component. Initially, compressive
stresses are created in the surrounding cold parent metal
when the weld pool is formed due to the thermal WELDING PROCEDURE
expansion of the hot metal (heat affected zone) adjacent This influences the degree of distortion mainly through
to the weld pool. However, tensile stresses arise on its effect on the heat input. As welding procedure is
cooling when the contraction of the weld metal and the usually selected for reasons of quality and productivity,
immediate heat affected zone is resisted by the bulk of the welder has limited scope for reducing distortion. As
the cold parent metal. If the stresses generated from a general rule, weld volume should be kept to a minimum.
thermal expansion/contraction exceeded the yield Also the welding sequence and technique should aim to
strength of the parent metal, localised plastic balance the thermally induced stresses around the neutral
deformation of the metal occurs. Plastic deformation axis of the component.
causes a permanent distortion in the structure.
The main factors affecting the type and degree of
distortion, are parent material properties, amount of
restraint, joint design, part fit-up and welding procedure. STRESS RELIEF
As for welds in any other metal, postweld heat-
PARENT MATERIAL PROPERTIES treatments are performed to reduce the residual stresses
Parent material properties which influence distortion encountered in the weld zone and improve fatigue
are coefficient of thermal expansion (greater values performance. Residual stresses in ferrous fabrications
increase distortion) and specific heat per unit volume can equal the yield stress of the alloy, but residual stresses
(lower values increase distortion). As distortion is in titanium are typically lower. For example a maximum
determined by expansion and contraction of the residual stress of approximately 85% of yield can be
material, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the encountered in Ti-6Al-4V in highly restrained metal, such
material plays a significant role in determining the as typical for repair welds. Postweld heat treatments of
stresses generated during welding and, hence, the different durations are required for stress relief of the
degree of distortion. Simple calculations and practical various titanium alloy grades. Heat-treatment schedules
experience shows that the level of distortion expected for weldable higher strength alloys are commonly
in a titanium component lies between those observed combined so that postweld heat-treatment relieves
for steel and stainless steel (i.e. distortion will be greater residual stresses and ages the parent material.
that for steel, but lower that observed in many austenitic Postweld heat-treatment may be performed in a
stainless steels). vacuum or argon atmosphere to prevent the formation
of contaminated layers. Adsorbed oxygen forms a brittle
RESTRAINT surface, or ‘alpha case’, and is best avoided. Heat
If a component is welded without any external treatment in air is possible provided that the oxidised
restraint, it distorts to relieve the welding stresses. So surface is removed by pickling, grinding or blasting and
methods of restraint such as ‘strong backs’ in butt welds descaling.
can prevent movement and reduce distortion. It should Welded fabrications in commercially pure titanium,
be noted, however, that restraint produces higher levels including pipe and fittings, will not normally require stress
of residual stress in the material. relief. Alloy fabrications, however, typically do require
stress relief. One to two hours at 600°C (1110°F) max is
usually adequate for both CP and Ti-6Al-4V, to reduce
JOINT DESIGN residual stress to manageable levels whilst avoiding
Both butt and fillet joints are prone to distortion. It excessive thermal oxidation. Indeed, higher temperatures
can be minimised in butt joints by adopting a joint type should be avoided, since microstructural ageing can
which balances the thermal stresses through the plate reduce toughness and ductility. Suppliers should be
thickness. For example, a double-sided in preference to consulted for a suitable heat treatment cycle for welded
a single-sided weld. Double-sided fillet welds should alloys requiring postweld solution treatment and ageing.
eliminate angular distortion of the upstanding member,

29
PRACTICAL POINTS..... THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF TITANIUM
Design Cost Control: The practical points of successful design cost control are principally those of value engineering
using a light, strong, corrosion-resistant material.
Do: Check available standard products and specifications Do not: Simply substitute titanium into existing designs.
to obtain best availability and lowest cost.
Use design strategies based on using minimum material Budget for titanium project costs by weight, especially
thickness. not by the weight of steel or other alloys.
Exploit corrosion resistant characteristics to the full.
Consider the use of liners and cladders in preference to Specify little-used alloys or forms.
solid design where heavy sections are unavoidable.
Consult suppliers and fabricators at the earliest stage of
design.

Machining: The practical points of successful machining are principally those of observing the different mechanical
and surface characteristics of titanium. Fire safety procedures must be applied for handling and control of titanium
fines and turnings.
Do: Use rigid set ups, correct speeds, feeds and tooling. Do not: Allow titanium to rub on blunt tooling or smear
Use flood lubrication. on the other metals.
Use roller steadies and running centres. Mix combustible rubbish with titanium fines or turnings.
Regularly remove turnings from machines. Allow open flames or welding near titanium fines.
Employ special closeable containers for titanium turnings.

Fabrication: The practical points of successful fabrication are principally those of good housekeeping and clean
practice in the workshop.
Do: Use the correct weld preparation and remove all Do not: Heat treat titanium in a reducing atmosphere, it
burrs. will absorb hydrogen and become embrittled.
Remove all grease, oil, paint and dirt before welding or Use methyl alcohol (methanol) as a cleaning fluid, dry
heat treatment. methanol can cause stress cracking.
Clean weld areas with acetone on a lint-free cloth or use Use sulpho-chlorinated or sulphurised cleaning fluids.
stainless steel or titanium wire brushes. Apply cleaning fluid with tissue paper, wool or rags.
Dry titanium surfaces before welding. Wire brush with mild steel brushes.
Use clean dry titanium filler wire of the correct grade. Use hydorgen containing shielding gases.
Ensure that the top and back face of the weld and weld
areas are adequately shielded with argon gas.

Surface Treatment: The practical points of successful surface treatments are the those of knowing the problem to
be solved and deciding the appropriate treatment.
Do: Confirm that any side effects are accounted for in Do not: Attempt to apply coatings to soiled or
the design and application. contaminated surfaces.
Ensure that surface preparation is appropriate to the Exceed recommended inspection and maintenance
coating selected. intervals.
Provide the specified grade of lubrication. Re-use components showing excessive wear or surface
damage.

Installation: The practical points of successful installation are principally those of observing the different mechanical
properties, corrosion resistance and surface characteristics of titanium.
Do: Allow for the lower modulus of titanium in struts Do not: Connect titanium without isolation to
and support spans. immediately adjoining less corrosion resistant metals,
Provide surface treatment for titanium parts in sliding (to reduce the likelihood of galvanic corrosion).
contact, or on bearing surfaces.
Coat external surfaces of exposed titanium structures in
areas where dynamically induced sparking is a defined
hazard.

COMPREHENSIVE GUIDES ON MACHINING AND FABRICATION ARE AVAILABLE FROM TIG

30
STANDARDS AND
SPECIFICATIONS
ASME provides the only international non-aerospace testing, ASME Code suggests that, if titanium weld metal
standard for weldment qualification in titanium. For hardness is more than 40 BHN (50VPN) greater than
pressure vessel construction, the ASME Boiler and base metal hardness, excessive contamination is
Pressure Vessel Code details procedure and performance possible. A substantially greater hardness differential
tests which must be met for coded grades 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, necessitates removal of the affected weld-metal area.
and 12. Tensile and bend tests on trial welds made under The Code further specifies that all titanium welds be
conditions intended for production are the acceptance examined by liquid penetrant. In addition, full radiography
criteria. Impact or notch tensile tests may also be of many titanium joints is required by the Code.
required, particularly for low temperature applications.
Once good procedures are established, as evidenced A European standard is currently being discussed for
by tensile and bend tests, they should be strictly followed welder approval for titanium fabrication, but as yet (May
in subsequent production welding. Although weld colour ’99) the final content of this document has not been
should certainly be included in any welding qualification ratified.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Welding fume generation from the common titanium combust during welding. Instances in which titanium has
alloys during TIG welding is minimal and there are no caught fire are associated with finely divided material
extraction requirements beyond those necessary for TIG and ignition from combustible fluids or materials.
welding other structural materials. Titanium will not

GLOSSARY
TIG: tungsten inert gas or gas tungsten arc welding EB: electron beam
(GTAW) RPEB: reduced pressure electron beam
MIG: metal inert gas or gas metal arc welding (GMAW) Nd-YAG (laser) Neodymium-yttrium-agate-garnet
PAW: plasma arc welding ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
DCEN: Direct current electrode negative
DCEP: Direct current electrode positive

Welding positions for plate and circumferential welds.

31
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
The list of TIG Members over includes fabricators who will be pleased to assist with further information and advice.
In addition, there are many industrial members of TWI that have considerable experience in fabricating titanium.
Information on these companies can be obtained from TWI. Those looking for US fabricators should visit the
following web sites: http://www.welding-services.com. The membership of TIG and the international Titanium
Association includes many international specialist fabricators and these can be found on http://www.titanium.net.

FOR HELP FROM TWI

TWI, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB1 6AL
Tel: +44(0)1223 891162
Fax: +44(0)1223 892588
Email: [email protected]

FOR WELDING CONSUMABLES

Titanium International Ltd TIMET UK LTD RMI Titanium Company
Keys House P.O. Box 704, Riverside Estate
Granby Avenue Witton, Fazeley Tamworth
Garretts Green Birmingham B6 7UR UK Staffordshire S78 3RW
Birmingham B33 0SP, UK Tel : +44(0)121-356-1155 Tel : +44(0)1827 262266
Tel: +44(0)121 789 8030 Fax: +44(0)121-356-5413 Fax: +44(0)1827 262267
Fax: +44(0)121 784 7694

FOR SHIELDING AND WELDING EQUIPMENT

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Ltd
Stukeley Meadows
Hutingdon
Cambridgeshire PE18 6EJ, UK
Tel:+44(0)1480 412432
Fax: :+44(0)1480 412841

FOR BRAZING CONSUMABLES

WESGO Vacuum Brazing Consultants Ltd
GTE Products Corporation The Hob Hill, Chapel Road
477 Harbor Boulevard Steeton
Belmont, CA 94002, USA Keighley BD20 6NU
Tel: +01 (415) 592 9440 Tel: +44(0)1535 653598
Fax:+44( 0)1535 656707

FOR FURTHER READING

There is a vast body of literature covering the joining of titanium and its alloys, far more than can be highlighted in
this brochure. Request for information on specific welding issues should be directed to TWI.

L S Smith and M F Gittos: “High L S Smith and M F Gittos: “A review of “AWS Welding Handbook, Materials
productivity pipe welding of Ti-6Al-4V weld metal porosity and hydride and Applications Part 2”, 8th edition ,
alloys”. TWI members report 660, cracking in titanium and its alloys”. American Welding Society, Miami.
November 1998. TWI Members Report 658, November
1998. M J Hussion: “Practical use of a
M F Gittos: “Welding of titanium”. collapsible purge chamber for titanium
Titanium World, September 1996. M B D Ellis and M F Gittos: “Tungsten welding”. Welding Journal 66, July
inert gas welding of titanium and its 1997.
P L Threadgill: “The potential for solid alloys”. Welding & Metal Fabrication,
state welding of titanium pipe in January 1995. Titanium: Design and Fabrication
offshore industries”. Presented at Handbook for Industrial Applications,
‘Right use of titanium III’, Stavanger M H Scott: “Arc welding titanium”. TIMET, Titanium Metals Corporation
Norway, 4-5 November 1997. Welding Institute Research Bulletin, 1997
20, June 1979.
D Howse, R Wiktorowicz and M F B.Hanson, “The Selection and Use of
Gittos: “Using shielding gases for Titanium - Designers Guide”, Institute
improved productivity arc welding of of Materials, 1995
titanium”. TWI Bulletin,

32
MEMBER COMPANIES OF TIG
Timet UK Limited RMI Titanium Company Tecvac Limited
PO Box 704 Riverside Estate Buckingway Business Park
Witton Fazeley Tamworth Swavesey
Birmingham B6 7UR Staffordshire B78 3RW Cambridge CB4 5UG
Tel: 0121 356 1155 Tel: 01827 262266 Tel: 01954 233700
Fax: 0121 356 5413 Fax: 01827 262267 Fax: 01954 233733
Manufacturers and stockists of titanium Manufacturer and stockist of a full range Surface treatment of titanium
mill products of titanium mill products including piping particularly nitriding
and OCTG tubulars
Doncasters Plc Titanium Mill Products Ltd
28-30 Derby Road Oremet Titanium Löwe House
Melbourne Keys House 1 Ranmoor Crescent
Derby DE7 1FE Granby Avenue Sheffield S10 3GU
Tel: 01332 864900 Garretts Green Tel: 01142 308 855
Fax: 01332 864888 Birmingham B33 0SP Fax: 01142 302 832
Manufacture titanium forgings and Tel: 0121 789 8030 Stockists of titanium wrought products
castings - specialist fabricator including Fax: 0121 784 8054
super-plastic forming/diffusion bonding Manufacturer and stockist of titanium Alba AS
mill products and castings Lilleakerveien 23
Wyman Gordon Ltd N-0283 Oslo
Houston Road Aurora Forgings Ltd Norway
Livingston Parkgate Steel Works Tel: 47 22 50 00 20
West Lothian EH54 5BZ PO Box 16 Rotherham Fax: 47 22 50 01 11
Tel: 01506 446200 South Yorkshire S62 6EB Titanium castings
Fax: 01506 446330 Tel: 0114 261 5000
Manufacturer of large titanium forgings Fax: 0114 261 5025 Deutsche Titan GmbH
including large diameter extruded tube Open and closed die forgings, extrusions Altendorfer Strasse 104
and rolled rings 45143 Essen
Bunting Titanium Ltd Germany
34 Middlemore Industrial Estate Euro-Titan Handels AG/Hanseatische Tel: 00 49 0201 188 2593
Smethwick Warley Waren Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co Kg Fax: 49 0201 188 3520
West Midlands B66 2EE c/o Internet Agencies Manufacturer of a wide range of titanium
Tel: 0121 558 5814 18 Cofton Church Lane mill products
Fax: 0121 558 8072 Birmingham B45 8PT
Titanium fabricator specialising in pipe Tel: 0121 447 7492 Rolls Royce Plc
spools - manufacturer of a range of Fax: 0121 447 7493 P.O. Box 2000
titanium valves Stockist of titanium ingot, bar, plate, Derby DE21 7XX
sheet, profile, tube and wire products Tel: 01332 661461
Aerospace Forgings Ltd Fax: 01332 622948
Churchbridge Rolls Laval Fabrication and design of components for
Oldbury PO Box 100 marine power systems
Warley Wolverhampton WV4 6JY
West Midlands B69 2AU Tel: 01902 353353 Aeromet International Plc
Tel: 0121 552 2921 Fax: 01902 403334 Watchmead
Fax: 0121 544 5731 Manufacturers of compact heat Welwyn Garden City
Manufacturer of closed die and hand exchangers Hertfordshire AL7 1LT
forged titanium forgings Tel: 01795 415000
Super Alloys International Ltd Fax: 01795 415050
TWI 5 Garamonde Drive Fabricator specialising in super plastic
Abington Hall Clarendon Industrial Estate forming and diffusion bonding
Abington Wymbush
Cambridge CB1 6AL Milton Keynes MK8 8DF Azko Nobel
Tel: 01223 891162 Tel: 01908 260707 Permascand AB
Fax: 01223 892588 Fax: 01908 260494 Box 42
Research, development and consultancy Stockist of titanium wrought products S-840 10 Ljungaverk
on joining techniques for materials Sweden
including titanium Scomark Engineering Ltd Tel: 0691 35500
Hartshorne Road Fax: 0691 33040
Metal Improvement Co Inc Woodville Swadlincote Titanium fabricators
Navigation House Derbyshire DE11 7JF
Hambridge Lane Tel: 01283 218222 Euro-Titan Handels AG
Newbury Fax: 01283 226468 Katternberger Strasse 155-159
Berks RG14 5TU Fabricator of high performance materials Solingen 42655
Tel: 01635 31071 including titanium Germany
Fax: 01635 31474 Tel: 02 12 248 16-0
Surface treatment of titanium DERA Fax: 02 12 248 16-16
components to improve mechanical Griffith Building A7 Stockist of titanium mill products
properties and to prolong service life Structural Materials Centre
DERA Farnborough
Hampshire GU14 0LX
Tel: 01252 392540
Fax: 01252 394135
Research and development on materials
including titanium

33
TITANIUM
TITANIUM is the fourth most abundant structural metal in the earth’s crust, and the ninth industrial metal. No
other engineering metal has risen so swiftly to pre-eminence in such a wide range of critical and demanding
applications.

TITANIUM AND ITS ALLOYS OFFER:

Availability in all forms
Comparable cost to other high performance engineering materials
Weight saving - as strong as steel but half the weight
Outstanding corrosion resistance in a wide range of aggressive media
Resistance to erosion and cavitation
Fire and shock resistance
Favourable cryogenic properties
Biocompatibility and non toxicity

TITANIUM AND ITS ALLOYS DELIVER:

High performance components and systems
• Aerospace engine and airframe parts
• Automotive components including valves, springs, connecting rods
• Orthopaedic implants surgical instruments, medical centrifuges
• Lightweight vehicle and body armour
• Offshore oil and gas equipment, stress joints, risers, flowlines, valves
• Seawater pipework systems for ballast, cooling and fire protection
• 100 million metres of steam condenser tubing in power plant worldwide
• High pressure compact heat exchangers
• Process plant equipment, vessels, heat exchangers, pumps, mixers
• High strength corrosion resistant fasteners
• Strong corrosion resistant alloys for high pressure high temperature processes
• Naval ball valves up to 600mm diameter
• Equipment for safe handling of food, beverage and pharmaceuticals
• Erosion resistant compoments for high velocity water duties
• Computer hard drive substrates
• Flue gas desulphurisation plant duct and flue linings
• Lightweight steam turbine blading
• Safe long term storage of nuclear waste
• Corrosion resistant wet air oxidation process plant

Sports, leisure and fashion goods

• Racing and mountain bicycles
• Golf clubs
• Yacht fittings
• Watches and personal jewellery
• Ultra lightweight spectacle frames

Attractive and durable architectural finishes and ornaments

• Curtain walling and roofing
• Electro painted pictures
• Sculptures, plaques and monuments
• Corrosion resistant cladding for marine structures

In the majority of these and other applications TITANIUM has replaced heavier, less serviceable and less
cost effective materials. Designing with TITANIUM and taking all factors including selection of the appropriate
surface treatment into account has resulted in reliable, economic and more durable systems and components
which in many cases have substantially exceeded performance and service life expectations.