Titanium In The Racing World
Friday, October 14th, 2011Speed is the most important aspect of automobile racing. However, the speed of a racing car is the result of many other factors, e.g., engine power, fuel efficiency, car weight, and frame stability, to name a few. Since the 1980s, perhaps the most vital addition to the arsenal of racing engineers has been titanium. Engines feature hundreds of small parts that are made of titanium, while cars’ bodies use large pieces of the metal. Titanium has many fans, most of whom are race car designers. They love the metal for its low density and super strength. In addition, titanium is highly corrosion-resistant. Compared to racing vehicles that do not use titanium parts, the cars with the metal are enormously superior in speed, power, stability, and endurance. Engines with titanium parts last longer too. While titanium costs more than conventional car metals, the added expense is offset in the long run.
One place car designers use titanium is in the exhaust system of race cars. There, it is able to resist the inevitable moisture that surrounds most exhaust components. The heat of the exhaust mechanisms is what attracts the water molecules. Take a look at your own car’s tailpipe to see this principle in action. There is typically a lot of rust in or near the exhaust pipe of most passenger cars. While your own car likely does not have titanium parts in the exhaust framework, nearly every racing car does. Race car owners think of titanium as a type of preventive maintenance for the exhaust system of cars.
In the same spirit, racing engineers have been drawn to titanium for its ability to sustain automotive spring mechanisms. In race car engines, there are literally hundreds of springs, small and large. Springs must be both strong and corrosion-free. Titanium to the rescue!
For larger engine components, the most desired qualities are strength and a very low weight. It is easy to see why lightweight race cars are more prized than heavier ones. The high pressures within an engine call for strength, and titanium engine parts are stronger than any other kind.
Because of titanium’s strength, rust-resistance, and light weight, racing engineers prefer it to any other available metal. In recent years, even the cost differential has become less of a factor, as speed and strength have turned into such valued commodities. In the modern world of auto racing, there is no substitute for titanium.
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