Titanium and steel are versatile metals commonly used in several manufacturing processes. These two materials on their own are pretty strength-oriented and possess a set of properties that allow them to cater to different purposes. Sufficient knowledge about their properties and their differences will help you make a better decision that would suit the purpose of achieving your goal.
By going through this guide, you will have an idea of the differences between these two materials, and hence you will be able to decide which material is suitable for your desired part. So, look at this guide and get your hands on some helpful information for your business. This guide contains all the essential points about the properties of these two materials that may be very helpful for your business.
Titanium is a naturally occurring element and has a space in the periodic table. It is known for its excellent strength-oriented properties and extreme corrosion resistance and has a greyish-silver color followed by a hard texture. It is quite a suitable material to cater to the construction industry. Due to its ability to off heat efficiency, it could be an excellent choice in construction where components are subjected to different weather changes.
The weight of titanium is not much, but its strength makes it suitable for many purposes. The application of titanium is observed in the aerospace industry because of its lightweight and strength-oriented nature of titanium.
Stainless steel, on the other hand, is not a naturally occurring element but an alloy. Stainless steel has a significant composition of iron and contains a specific part of chromium followed by nickel, titanium, and copper.
Stainless steel differs from ordinary steel because it is not prone to rust. It is a suitable choice for kitchen utensils since it does not corrode easily. Stainless steel can also handle heat very well and is a suitable material for manufacturing cooking pots.
When it comes to looking forward to a comparison of titanium vs steel, you will come across many similarities that make them suitable to achieve your goal. However, several differences still make them both suitable to cater to different purposes. Titanium may be good for specific applications where stainless steel might not be suitable and vice versa.
Here you will find a detailed analysis of how these materials differ; let's have a look.
Titanium is found naturally in the earth’s crust; still, it has certain impurities but with a very negligible amount. These impurities may be hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, etc. In contrast, stainless steel is an alloy with a significant proportion of different elements in which iron and chromium are the major ones, followed by some other elements in smaller proportions.
If the corrosion resistance of titanium and stainless steel is compared, we can safely say that titanium wins the lead here. Titanium has an excellent corrosion resistance property and is good to go with all kinds of acids, alkalis, and other chemicals without rusting.
Although stainless steel is also a suitable choice for corrosion-resistant applications, it is not as good as titanium and may corrode over time.
Electrical conductivity is a property that is not possessed by all materials. Certain materials, like copper, possess excellent electrical conductivity and hence are suitable for electronic components. However, titanium is not a good conductor of electricity in the light of titanium vs stainless steel.
Thermal applications always need a material to be chosen that possesses a better thermal conductivity. So, if you look at the thermal conductivity of titanium and stainless steel, the former possesses 118 BTU per hour, whereas the latter possesses about 238 BTU per hour. This shows that stainless steel is more suitable than titanium whenever higher thermal conductivity is needed.
The melting point is the temperature at which a material is transferred from solid to liquid, in other words, the point at which it starts to melt.
So, the melting point of titanium is between 1650 to 1670 degrees centigrade, whereas stainless steel has 1230 to 1530 degrees centigrade. Hence, in between titanium and stainless steel, titanium is a material with a high melting point. So, it can be used in applications that require a high melting point.
It is imperative to assess the hardness of material before subjecting it to any machinery process. It is because when the material is not suitable to face severe pressure, it might face dents and scratches and, therefore, hinder the manufacturing process.
In the case of titanium and stainless steel, it is observed that stainless steel is far harder than titanium since it contains a proportion of iron. However, in many processes, titanium also does possess suitable hardness. At specific points, hardness is significant, so stainless steel is chosen.
The weight-to-strength ratio is one of the very crucial aspects to take into account when choosing metals. Hence, when you look at the strength-to-weight ratio of titanium, you will find it to be a better option than stainless steel.
Due to being light in weight, titanium is considered for many aircraft parts and hence offers sufficient strength with a lightweight. At the same time, stainless steel may suit the manufacturing process where weight is not a problem.
Titanium vs steel both have an excellent level of durability. They are hard, resistant to corrosion, have suitable melting points, and can handle all kinds of weather situations. However, although the life of titanium is longer than stainless steel, it may get scratched easily. In comparison, stainless steel offers a scratch-resistant option. Yet, both are far more durable and can safely be used in different manufacturing processes.
Depending upon the desired application, the choice between both materials can be made, keeping an eye on the rest of the properties.
By going through the guide above you would have understood the major differences between titanium and steel. This would be of great help to you for manufacturing different parts using any of these materials.
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