The weight of a titanium bracket is a little over half the weight of a steel bracket of the same size. It can also carry a similar load. This property has moved titanium from a specialty material to a common choice in aircraft structures, especially those with carbon fiber composites.
Jaco Aerospace provides aerospace-grade titanium in pure grades and in the most used alloys for aerospace programs. We ship billet, bar, plate, sheet, tubing, and weld wire from top mills as an authorized distributor. Our titanium goes to commercial airframers like Embraer and ATR, as well as defense primes such as Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. Gulfstream and Honda Aircraft use it, along with rotorcraft builders like Sikorsky and Airbus Helicopters. Unmanned aircraft teams at General Atomics and Kratos Defense also rely on it.
Why Airframes Use More of It Every Year
Modern commercial jets use much more titanium than those from the 1970s and 1980s. A big part of that growth came with the rise of composite structures. Titanium is galvanically compatible with carbon fiber, so fittings and fasteners against a composite skin are often titanium.
On a large airframe, weight savings add up fast. Titanium alloys can match the strength of many steels while being about 40 percent lighter. Over the life of an aircraft, this contributes to lower fuel use and additional range. Designers can also use thinner sections at the same load capacity, which helps with aerodynamic shapes.
Self-Healing Oxide Film
Titanium has an oxide film that will form on top of the metal. This film will repair itself if you scratch it off. As a result, you don't need to put a protective coating on titanium the majority of the time.
High-Temperature Strength
The high temperature retention properties of titanium mean that it retains its strength better than aluminum at higher temperatures. Examples include engine parts, exhaust systems and heavily loaded landing gear components.
Forming and Cold Forming
Aerospace shops regularly forge, form and machine titanium into complex shapes. When working with beta alloy titanium, it's even possible to cold form the titanium into strips, springs and thin wall products at room temperature.
Commercially Pure Grades
Titanium that doesn't have any other elements added to it (unalloyed), or what we typically call "CP" (Commercially Pure), has small, controlled amounts of oxygen and iron. We offer Grades 1-4 for use in both aerospace and medical applications.
Grade 1
Grade 1 is the least hard of the four and therefore the easiest to shape. Additionally, Grade 1 has excellent corrosion resistance.
Grade 2
Grade 2 is generally the most popular choice among fabricators as it provides a combination of strength, ease of shaping, and ease of welding. Grade 2 is also commonly used in ducting, firewalls, and galley components.
Grade 3
Compared to Grade 2, Grade 3 has increased strength.
Grade 4
If a component requires increased strength but doesn't require an alloy, then Grade 4 is the strongest CP grade that we provide.
Titanium Alloys
| Alloy |
Typical Use |
| Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V |
Approximately fifty percent of the titanium consumed by the aerospace industry. Used as a structural material, a fastener, an engine component, or a forging. |
| Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V STA |
Solution treated and aged form, providing greater strength than normally offered by Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V. |
| Grade 23 Ti-6Al-4V ELI |
Specified for fracture-critical parts. Less interstitial content for better fracture toughness and damage tolerance. Also utilized in medical implant applications. |
| 6Al-6V-2Sn |
Heat treatable. Employed in airframe structures and forgings that require more strength than Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V. |
| 6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo |
Valued in jet engine compressor applications for its ability to resist creep at elevated temperatures. |
| 6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo |
Used in heavier engine sections, including discs and fan components. |
| Grade 9 Ti-3Al-2.5V |
Commonly used in hydraulic and pneumatic line systems. Forms and welds easily, and is manufactured into honeycomb foil. |
| Grade 6 Ti-5Al-2.5Sn |
Single-phase (alpha) alloy with good weldability, stable from cryogenic temperatures up to elevated temperatures. |
| Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al |
A near-beta alloy with high strength and toughness, used in landing gear beams, links, and other highly stressed forgings. |
| Ti-15V-3Cr-3Sn-3Al ("15-3-3-3") |
A beta alloy used in spring systems, ducts, and thin-walled parts. Can be rolled into strip and formed at ambient temperature. |
Specifications and Forms
We have been providing titanium to meet both aerospace material specifications for sheet, strip, plate, bar, forgings, tubing and weld wire and OEM material specifications and military specifications. We ask that you provide us with the specification that appears on your drawing. This will allow us to provide you with pricing and availability. The forms that we offer are:
Keep in mind that not all sizes are produced in every grade. Our team will confirm which grades are available prior to placing an order. The high-strength beta and near beta alloys used in landing gear are able to support loads that would require a much greater amount of weight in the form of steel.
Titanium on the Aircraft
Springs
Beta titanium springs are lighter in weight and resistant to corrosion.
Flap Tracks and Flight Controls
Flap tracks and flight control fittings carry heavy loads through thousands of cycles.
Hydraulic and Pneumatic Tubing
The tubing manufactured using 3Al-2.5V reduces the overall weight of the hydraulic and pneumatic systems throughout the entire aircraft.
Composite Airframes
Composite airframes utilize titanium for fittings, frames and attachment points. Fasteners constructed from titanium are also employed within this same structure.
Engines
Fan blades, compressor disks and hot casing sections within the engine are often made of titanium.
Firewalls and Exhaust
Titanium is used to protect firewalls and exhaust areas due to its CP and alloy properties.
Drones
Drone builders utilize small titanium fittings when saving one ounce of weight results in increased endurance or payload capabilities.
Over the course of more than five decades, we have provided titanium and other aerospace materials to commercial aircraft builders, military operators and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities. Our present-day customers include airlines, MROs, OEMs, machine shops, drone manufacturers, government agencies and private aircraft owners. A customer may only require a small cut piece of titanium for repair purposes. Others order full bars and plates for production.
Customers, Paperwork and Ordering
- We only offer new titanium, not surplus
- Sourced from authorized mills and manufacturers
- Every shipment includes a Certificate of Conformance, manufacturer's certifications and complete traceability back to the mill
- An authorized worldwide distributor of aerospace materials since 1971
- When an aircraft is grounded waiting on titanium, our AOG service can often deliver it the next morning
Visit our website to determine which grade and form you require or inform us of the grade, form, size and quantity you require and we will provide pricing.