Analysis of the titanium alloy industry chain
(Continued)
Analysis of the titanium alloy industry chain
The titanium alloy industry chain mainly includes the following links:
1. Titanium resource extraction: Titanium resources refer to minerals or rocks containing titanium elements. China is one of the countries with the richest titanium resources in the world, with approximately 20% of global reserves. However, most of them are low-grade calcium magnesium type ilmenite, which is difficult to extract and has low utilization rates.
2. Titanium concentrate smelting: Titanium concentrate refers to a substance that contains a high proportion of titanium element after ore dressing or chemical treatment, mainly including rutile concentrate and ruthenium iron ore concentrate. After smelting, titanium concentrate can obtain products such as sponge titanium or titanium dioxide. Sponge titanium refers to the basic raw material for manufacturing titanium alloys, which is reduced from its oxide by chlorination or electrolysis to form a sponge-like substance. Titanium dioxide refers to a white powdery substance formed by separating titanium metal from its oxides through methods such as sulfuric acid or chloride and is the basic raw material for manufacturing titanium dioxide.
3. Titanium dioxide production: Titanium dioxide refers to a white pigment mainly composed of titanium dioxide, which has high covering power, high refractive index, and high weather resistance. It is widely used in industries such as coatings, plastics, inks, and papermaking. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of titanium dioxide, with a production volume of 3.51 million tons in 2020, accounting for over 40% of the global total.
4. Titanium alloy production: Titanium alloy refers to an alloy made from sponge titanium as the matrix, with one or more alloying elements added, through smelting or powder metallurgy methods. According to different processing methods, titanium alloys can be divided into forms such as ingots, forgings, plates, bars, pipes, wires, etc. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of sponge titanium, with a production volume of 125000 tons in 2020, accounting for over 30% of the global total.
5. Titanium alloy application: After processing, titanium alloy can be applied in various fields. According to different application requirements, titanium alloy can be made into various components or equipment, such as aircraft structural components, engine components, missile components, artificial joints, dental implants, surgical instruments, etc., which plays an important role in improving biocompatibility and antibacterial properties.
6. Other industries: Titanium alloys are also widely used in other industrial fields, accounting for about 30% of global titanium consumption. Titanium alloy is mainly used in other industries for chemical equipment, petroleum equipment, power equipment, automotive components, etc. It plays an important role in improving corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
(To be continued)
