Development of novel Ti-based powder production, consolidation and shaping processes for low cost Ti automotive parts manufacturing

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Titanium (Ti) and its alloys represent superior light metal alternatives in the pursuit of automobile weight reduction and increased performance. However, to date Ti's use in the automotive industry has been restricted to luxury vehicles due to the high costs of Ti production and mill product manufacturing. This research program seeks to establish a low cost method of producing titanium parts for automotive applications through the development of novel processes across the entire process stream. The research program is structured into seven themes including; Ti powder production (theme I), sintering fundamentals (theme II), sintering of TiAI intermetallics (theme III), "press and sinter" developments (theme IV), mechanical testing (theme V), asymmetric roll compaction (theme VI) and prototyping development and evaluation. These themes will focus on both commercially pure Ti and Ti alloy components. Automotive exhaust systems and engine intake and exhaust valves will be the applications targeted by the prototyping activities. The two supporting industrial partners, Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) and Wescast Industries Inc (Wescast), will work in close collaboration with academic partners at Dalhousie and Queen's University to execute the project. When completed, this project will deliver a scaled-up method for producing low cost Ti pOWder, allowing KPM to further develop a pilot plant with the aim of establishing a new commercial powder production process. This project will also establish a novel and optimized Ti based powder metallurgy (PM) parts manufacturing process, enabling Wescast to develop a pilot plant production operation based on automotive Ti. The inclusion of high performance, low cost Ti components in their product line will allow Wescast to expand their operations and maintain a competitive advantage in the automotive industry. Replacing steel counterparts with Ti alternatives will typically result in a 50% weight reduction on a component basis. In the particular case of exhaust systems, a 50% worldwide market penetration by Ti could result in a green house gas reduction of 1.5 mega tonnes per year. Therefore the successful completion of this project will make a positive contribution to the Canadian Automotive industry, the Canadian economy and the environment.