Titanium alloy is a good material for making all kinds of weapons. It is not only light in weight, good maneuverability, but also solid, durable, never rusted, and requires no maintenance. It is suitable for complex terrain and airborne troops. The quality of the mortar seat plate made of TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) titanium alloy is only 50% of the quality of the high-strength steel plate. The mortar tube can also be made of titanium alloy. Titanium and titanium alloy are used to prepare body armor, Great material for vests, helmets, barrels, gun mounts, etc. The former Soviet Union was a pioneer in the manufacture of all-titanium submarines, and titanium machine guns and pistols were light and beautiful. Titanium and titanium alloys are a new class of materials for the manufacture of conventional weapons. After World War II, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department started the research and development of the application of titanium alloys in weapons, and the Watertown (Watertown) Arsenal was its research and development base. In the 1980s, the United States used about 1,500 tons of titanium annually in ordnance.
Application of Titanium in Cannon Manufacturing
The United States began to study the application of titanium alloys in the manufacture of M28 120mm cannons in the 1950s. This is a recoilless cannon. The titanium alloy used is α+β type Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn-0.5Fe-0.5 Cu, its annealed tensile strength is 1098MPa, yield strength is 1030MPa, elongation is 13%, area shrinkage is 37%, and Brinell hardness is 34. The barrel, medicine chamber, nozzle, and launching piston of this gun are all made of this alloy forging and extruded material. The whole gun weighs only 68kg, which is 36.4kg lighter than the steel gun, which is about 34.9% lighter. It can be carried by 5 people. Since 1961, it has been equipped with an infantry battalion, paratrooper battalion, a tank battalion, a mechanized infantry battalion, and an airborne division. The advantages of the gun: small size, lightweight, high power, higher mobility, and easy camouflage.
Later, the United States used Ti-6Al-4V-2Sn alloy to make gun barrels, and Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-7Al-4Mo, Ti-5Al-1.5Fe-1.4Cr-1.2Mo alloys to make medicine chambers, nozzles and Launching the piston, the mass of the whole gun is 49kg, and 4 people can easily carry it on its back. The American T66 76mm gun mount and tailstock use about 143kg titanium alloy, which is 93.4kg lighter than steel; the field gun frame made of titanium alloy is 42% lighter than steel. The mass of the T227 81mm mortar seat plate made of an industrial pure titanium plate in the United States is only about 11kg, which is about 50% lighter than that of steel. Also, the bung that connects the barrel to the seat plate is also made of titanium alloy, and they fired the gun hundreds of times on earth and gravel with good results. The mass of the T227 81mm mortar together with the seat plate is only 34kg and the range is 4500m, which is 20% lighter than the steel M29 81mm mortar (42.3kg, range 3600m), the range is increased, and the mobility is improved.
The mortar base plate made of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by Kobe Steel is welded with 5mm and 8mm thick plates, and the drop weight test is carried out on the welding quality, and the effect is good and fully meets the standard requirements.
China uses a TA7 alloy plate to stamp the 100mm mortar base plate, which is 10kg lighter than the steel plate. The design was finalized in 1981, and it was put into mass production in 1983, and then it was installed in the army. The body, base, and bracket of the 82mm airborne mortar are made of titanium alloy, which is 16.6kg lighter than the steel one. It was put into mass production and installation in 1984.
In 2006, the new cannon launched by the United States, the 155mm M777AI howitzer, is a ground combat system made of a large number of titanium materials, which is about 3150kg lighter than the M198 artillery system it is to replace, almost half the weight. Being lighter not only facilitates transport but also significantly improves the gun's maneuverability, while still maintaining the gun's range and accuracy.
Application of titanium in other equipment
As early as 1959-1961, the United States used Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-5Al-2.5Sn alloys to press the M-1 standard helmet. The finished product is easily made by using Ti-4Al-3Mn alloy and explosive forming process, and the mass is 0.794kg-1.02kg. In terms of the bullet avoidance effect, the titanium alloy helmet is equivalent to the steel helmet, but the titanium helmet is 0.45kg lighter than the steel helmet, which is much more convenient and comfortable to wear.
The American-made titanium alloy bulletproof vest is composed of 1 layer of 2.54mm thick titanium alloy sheet and 10 layers of nylon. The weight is about 3.86kg. It is very convenient to wear. It is very strong against shells, grenades, and mine fragments, but it is not enough for 7.62mm bullets. . Later, it was changed to a higher-strength titanium alloy, which reduced the weight of the helmet a bit, only 2.95kg.
China began to develop the application of titanium alloys in the field of weapons in the mid-1970s and has achieved fruitful results. For example, the steering gear and frame of the anti-tank missile made of TC9 alloy successfully passed the target test; the 85-type anti-aircraft machine gun brake made of TC4 alloy worked well; the precision cast ZTC4 brake was used instead of the Bar machine processing, not only has the same performance, and the material utilization rate is increased from 18% to 94%, and a lot of processing costs are saved. The light flamethrower made of industrial pure titanium, Ti-3Al-2.5V, or Ti-451 alloy has a range of more than 70m, which is 3kg lighter than that of steel.
The brakes of the Russian "Alliance" 152mm double-barreled self-propelled artillery are made of titanium alloy. During the firing process, the two barrels fire alternately. The firing speed is 15 to 18 rounds per minute. It has fast firing speed, strong firepower, and off-road capability. Good mobility and strong survivability.
When a submarine sails in the sea, it is under enormous pressure. The deeper it dives, the greater the pressure it bears. The diving depth of all-titanium nuclear submarines is 4500m, which is much deeper than that of ordinary submarines. Titanium alloys are not magnetic, and titanium alloy nuclear submarines do not have to worry about magnetic mine attacks.
