Titanium alloy wire is a linear material made by drawing titanium as the base and adding other alloying elements such as aluminum, vanadium, niobium, and zirconium. It inherits the excellent properties of the titanium alloy family and expands its application fields in the form of wire at the same time. Titanium alloy wire is a high-performance and high-value-added functional material. It is not a "universal" material, but in fields where there are strict requirements for weight, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility or special functions (such as superelasticity), it is often an irreplaceable best choice. Its application is constantly expanding with technological progress, especially in high-end manufacturing and life sciences.
The main characteristics of lightweight and high-strength titanium are that its density is approximately 4.51g/cm3, which is about 40% lighter than that of steel, but it has high strength, with a specific strength superior to that of many metals. Titanium with excellent corrosion resistance can form a dense oxide film in oxidizing media and has outstanding corrosion resistance in seawater, chloride ion environments, etc. Biocompatible titanium is non-toxic, non-magnetic and has good compatibility with human tissues, making it suitable for use in the medical field. High-temperature resistant titanium can still maintain good mechanical properties at high temperatures, and some titanium alloy wires still have good strength above 600℃. The raw material preparation for the production process selects high-purity titanium or titanium alloy ingots. Hot working processes ingots into bars through forging, rolling and other methods. Cold drawing involves drawing bars into wires of the required diameter. During the process, intermediate annealing is required to prevent work hardening. Heat treatment involves annealing or solution treatment to improve the mechanical properties of the wire material. The surface treatment adopts processes such as acid washing and polishing to improve the surface quality.
Surgical implants and bone repair bone products: bone nails, bone plates, bone fixation wires (such as Kirschner needles). Commonly used TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) and higher purity TC4 ELI grades take advantage of their high strength, fatigue resistance and excellent biocompatibility. Cranio-maxillofacial repair: Mesh plates and connecting wires used for repairing the skull and facial bones. Healing cap screws for dental implants and periodontal splint fixing threads. Nickel-titanium alloy wires for interventional and minimally invasive medical devices and catheters are the core materials for manufacturing cardiovascular and neurointerventional wires due to their superelasticity (which can maintain their shape at the bends of blood vessels without permanent deformation). Self-expanding vascular stents are mainly made of nickel-titanium alloy wire braided or laser-cut tubes, and they unfold at body temperature by taking advantage of their shape memory effect.
High-performance rivets, bolts and fasteners for the fastening system. Mainly TC4 and higher-strength β titanium alloy wires are used to achieve an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, which is the key to the connection of aircraft fuselages and engine structural components. The sensor wire protection sleeve and ignition wire of the component and structure engine. Springs, tension springs and torsion springs in the aircraft control system. Titanium alloy wire springs can provide greater force in a smaller volume and are corrosion-resistant. Antennas and connectors on spacecraft. Filtration and separation are woven into filter screens and sieves, which are used for the filtration of highly corrosive media (such as chlor-alkali industry, nitric acid, seawater). Commonly used are pure titanium wires (Gr1, Gr2). Electroplating and electrolysis are used as electroplating hangers and anode baskets, replacing copper or stainless steel, which greatly extends the service life and does not contaminate the electroplating solution. Water distributors and connecting parts in seawater desalination devices for seawater environments. Anti-corrosion components of offshore platform equipment.
Eyewear industry frames: especially high-end frames and temple parts. Titanium alloy wire (often β titanium alloy) is light, elastic, anti-allergic, not easy to deform and comfortable to wear. Jewelry can present rich colors through anodizing, is durable and non-allergenic, and is an important material for modern fashionable jewelry.
