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

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys represent superior light metal alternatives in the pursuit of automobile weight reductionand increased performance. However, to date Ti's use in the automotive industry has been restricted to luxury vehiclesdue to the high costs of Ti production and mill product manufacturing. This research program seeks to establish a lowcost method of producing titanium parts for automotive applications through the development of novel processes acrossthe 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 andevaluation. These themes will focus on both commercially pure Ti and Ti alloy components. Automotive exhaust systemsand 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 theproject. When completed, this project will deliver a scaled-up method for producing low cost Ti pOWder, allowing KPM tofurther develop a pilot plant with the aim of establishing a new commercial powder production process. This project willalso establish a novel and optimized Ti based powder metallurgy (PM) parts manufacturing process, enabling Wescastto develop a pilot plant production operation based on automotive Ti. The inclusion of high performance, low cost Ticomponents in their product line will allow Wescast to expand their operations and maintain a competitive advantage inthe 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 gasreduction of 1.5 mega tonnes per year. Therefore the successful completion of this project will make a positivecontribution to the Canadian Automotive industry, the Canadian economy and the environment.