Affordable Titanium Structures Using Innovative Casting Technologies

This SBIR Phase II effort proposes to further exploit the tremendous benefits offered by titanium castings by evaluating and developing high strength, lightweight titanium casting alloys for possible application in naval aircraft in order to reduce cost and/or weight versus current alloys and/or fabrication routes. For certain classes of machined forged titanium alloy components, the potential cost savings have been estimated to be up to 50% when a part is converted from a machined forging to a machined Ti-6Al-4V investment casting. The purpose of applying a higher strength-low weight titanium alloy versus Ti-6Al-4V is to allow direct conversion of these forged components to titanium castings without sacrificing strength or increasing weight.