All the scrap Russian titanium on the market may be a contributing factor to cheaper Ti parts for us nerds that thinks that it's just the coolest thing out there. A larger factor (IMHO) is the fact that the technology to actually work with the stuff is becoming cheaper and more accessible. Ever try to cut the stuff with a hacksaw or something? It's really fun to give an over-zealous buddy a chunk of it and a saw and say "go for it!" (Trust me.)
So now that people other than military contractors are actually able to forge, weld and machine the stuff (all very tricky things to do), I think that's why we are seeing real-world Ti applications.
Why is it tricky to work with, you ask? Well, it's very reactive with oxygen and it's very hard (very brittle in it's pure state, hence a usual Ti + vanadium + other goodies ****tail). I took a cutting torch to a chunk of Ti once- that was interesting. The stuff almost explodes when you heat it up and hit it with pure O2. So melting it down, forging it, welding-- pretty much anything that requires heating it-- is very tricky. Not to mention machining it eats up normal tool steel.
Anyway, huzzah for technology that makes all those tricky things not so tricky anymore and gives us lighter, cheaper, stronger crap!
So now that people other than military contractors are actually able to forge, weld and machine the stuff (all very tricky things to do), I think that's why we are seeing real-world Ti applications.
Why is it tricky to work with, you ask? Well, it's very reactive with oxygen and it's very hard (very brittle in it's pure state, hence a usual Ti + vanadium + other goodies ****tail). I took a cutting torch to a chunk of Ti once- that was interesting. The stuff almost explodes when you heat it up and hit it with pure O2. So melting it down, forging it, welding-- pretty much anything that requires heating it-- is very tricky. Not to mention machining it eats up normal tool steel.
Anyway, huzzah for technology that makes all those tricky things not so tricky anymore and gives us lighter, cheaper, stronger crap!