We all know that titanium alloys are used in aircraft, submarines, etc. Its specific strength even exceeds that of steel. When the specific gravity is slightly higher than that of aluminum, its strength, toughness and other properties are similar to or even higher than those of steel. In theory, titanium alloys are the perfect armor material.
Titanium alloy is an ideal armor material only in terms of performance. We know that armored steel is mainly used as armor on armored vehicles, and some light vehicles, such as infantry fighting vehicles, paratrooper fighting vehicles, and armored transport vehicles, use aluminum alloy armor to reduce weight. However, the hardness of aluminum alloy armor is low, its specific strength is far inferior to steel, and it is not resistant to high temperature. But after all, aluminum alloy is very light. When used as armor, under the premise of the same protection against armor-piercing projectiles, although the thickness is much greater than that of steel, the weight can be lighter. But titanium alloys also have fatal flaws, that is, they are expensive. This is expensive. On the one hand, the price of high-performance titanium alloy materials is very high; on the other hand, it is more important that titanium alloys are difficult to process, especially titanium alloy welding, which is very difficult. In general, the price of titanium alloy armor with the same protection is 10-20 times that of steel.
Therefore, for a long time, the use of titanium alloy armor is generally in places such as aircraft and individual body armor. The Soviet Union once used titanium alloy to make the pressure shell of submarines. Its cost per ton exceeds the price of gold of the same weight. Only three countries in the world, China, the United States and Russia, have conducted special research on marine titanium alloys and established their own marine titanium alloy systems. Moreover, titanium alloys still have some defects. According to related papers, under certain load conditions, projectiles only need a very small amount of energy to cause damage to titanium alloy armor. Therefore, even if you have money, completely replace steel with titanium alloys. It is also unscientific.
By the 1990s, titanium alloy armor had some turning points. Represented by the United States, many countries at that time began to study related technologies for the application of low-cost titanium alloys in armored vehicles. Through the use of new technologies and processes, such as electron beam welding, the price of titanium alloy armor has been reduced by about 40%, which finally makes it possible to use titanium alloy materials. In the further upgrade plan of the M1A2 tank planned by the United States in the 1990s, it plans to use titanium alloys to manufacture hatch covers, top armor plates, etc., to replace its original steel parts. The weight of the M1 tank using titanium alloy parts can be reduced by nearly 500 kg , while the protection remains unchanged. The U.S. military's research also pointed out that related technologies can also be used on M2 "Bradley" and M113 armored transport vehicles. Of course, this is subject to further reductions in titanium alloy manufacturing costs. In addition, when developing the EFV Marine Corps expeditionary combat vehicle, the U.S. military also considered using titanium alloy armor, or using titanium alloy to make the vehicle's action system components to reduce weight.
China's new chariot uses titanium alloy to make the body structure, and its weight and protection are obviously better than the previous use of aluminum alloy or steel. So what is this chariot? First of all, this chariot is still in the main technological research stage, so it will not be a vehicle that has already begun to equip troops. From this, the Type 15 lightweight main battle tank, the Type 05 amphibious assault vehicle, the amphibious infantry fighting vehicle family, and the 04A infantry fighting vehicle can be excluded. The Ordnance Equipment Group also has rich experience in using titanium alloy materials for army weapons. The AH-4 155mm ultra-light howitzer developed by it uses a large number of large titanium alloy parts including titanium alloy gun mounts. This fact can also be explained from the side that the Armed Forces Group has a solid foundation in the casting, welding and machining of large titanium alloy parts. In the 2012 Zhuhai Air Show, a staff member of the factory said with a mysterious smile when he was interviewed by us next to the AH-4 ultra-light artillery: "After mastering this technology, we can do everything. There will be more new equipment using titanium alloys in the future, just wait and see." According to the information disclosed in the relevant news, the structural frame materials and part of the armor of my country's new armored vehicles are made of titanium alloy materials, which first shows that this is a An armored vehicle that was decided from the very beginning of its design to make extensive use of titanium alloys for its basic structure, which is currently a world first.
