Titanium is very difficult to extract because of its high chemical activity and the fact that it reacts with many elements, including refractories, at melting temperatures. In 1910, American scientists adopted the "sodium method" (sodium reduction TiCl4) to obtain the purity of the metal titanium, but the titanium industry did not immediately develop. The industry did not take off until after world war ii, when the "magnesium reduction TiCl4" (magnesium reduction TiCl4) was developed by Luxembourg scientists and used in the United States. In 1948, dupont was able to produce tonnage titanium sponge, and the large-scale production of titanium sponge laid the foundation for the titanium industry.
Since 1950s, with the rapid development of aerospace industry, titanium alloy materials and their applications have been greatly developed. The Douglas dc-7, which made its first flight in 1953, was the first to use titanium alloy in engine nacelles and heat shield designs. In 1964, the sr-71 blackbird, the first all-titanium high-altitude high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft, made its first flight, with the amount of titanium alloy used accounting for 93% of the total weight of the aircraft structure.
The amount of titanium alloy is often used as an index to measure the advanced degree of aircraft selection and the development level of aviation industry. The U.S. f-15 aircraft structure accounted for about 26 percent of its weight in titanium alloy, while the fourth-generation fighter f-22 aircraft structure accounted for 38.8 percent of its weight in titanium alloy. The F15's f100-pw100 turbofan engine USES 25% to 30% titanium, while the f-22's V2500 engine USES 31% titanium.
Currently, the amount of titanium materials used in aviation industry accounts for more than half of the total market amount of titanium materials in the world.
