Among nonferrous welding processes, aluminum is the most documented, but titanium is arguably the most impressive. Lighter than steel alloys yet significantly stronger than aluminum, titanium provides the highest strength-to-weight ratio among metals commonly used in manufacturing and fabrication today. It is notably more expensive, but the expense is justified when taking into account the corrosion resistance, service life, and maintenance and repair costs. Engineers who take a long view know that extending the life of a component more than pays for the added expense when taking into account labor and materials that would go into its repair or replacement. For these reasons, titanium is used extensively in maritime, aviation, military, chemical, power generation, nuclear, desalination, and medical applications (see Figure 1).
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