Re: Titanium in the Shuttle

From: Henry Spencer (henry_at_spsystems.net)
Date: 03/23/05 

Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:23:37 GMT

In article <1111465715.822367.58070@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
 <kitplane01@gmail.com> wrote:
>A titanium structure would weigh less...

No, substantially more -- NASA estimated an extra 2t -- although that
would be more than made up by lighter thermal protection.

>NASA did study this option. Why did they pick aluminum? Was it just
>the cost of titanium fabrication.

They balanced the extra costs of working with titanium against lighter and
lower-maintenance thermal protection, and decided that there was very
little overall difference. The decisive factor, in the end, was that the
USAF was worried about the limits of US titanium production and processing
facilities, especially with production starting on the F-15 (which used a
fair amount of it), and didn't want to see NASA using titanium in
quantity.

>...It would also seem to me that the reduction in weight would be
>nice, and help with either added payload, higher orbits, larger return
>payload, and safer aborts.

At the point when this decision was being made, orbiter size was still
vague, so it wouldn't have made a difference in payload -- aluminum just
required a slightly larger orbiter.

>Anyone know .. is it some exotic alloy of aluminum, or just standard
>aircraft grade aluminum?

Pretty standard alloys -- mostly 2024, if I recall correctly. There's
some titanium, in particular in the engine thrust structure, and some
composites, notably the cargo-bay doors. 

-- 
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend."    |   Henry Spencer
                                -- George Herbert       | henry@spsystems.net

Relevant Pages

  • Re: PM is wise, reduces cabinet posts
    ... structure bridges) in sarawak with concrete one. ... the bridges that taib's mahmud did cost 3 time the actual ... cost over run is cause by titanium as a turn key contractors ...
    (soc.culture.malaysia)
  • Re: PM is wise, reduces cabinet posts
    ... eg. taib's son own the company titanium replacing bailey bridges in sarawak with concrete one. ... third point is, the bridges that taib's mahmud did cost 3 time the actual cost and they such simple jobs, a 1+ millions bridge each. ... 4th point is, cost over run is cause by titanium as a turn key contractors poor planning, poor design and poor management and JKR instead of fining taib's son, award him extension of time with cost, and of course also cost for rise in materials price due to delay. ... 5th point is JKR Sarawak director Herbert Thian claimed that all titanium jobs are done on time, when he instead of fining titanium for delay awarded then time and cost. ...
    (soc.culture.malaysia)
  • Re: Other JSF options
    ... basic material costs and higher-than-pereviously-used inflation rates, then the cost of whatever wunderweapon you are proposing as an alternative to future JSF production will also similarly be affected....so your point would be? ... Soaring titanium prices, the rising cost of producing the metal and a global shortage may hit the Joint Strike Fighter programme, the first time a global materials supply concern has impacted so significantly on the defence sector since the steel shortages after the Second World War. ... In 1973, after rigorous debate, Congress adopted a key provision, called the specialty metals clause, that requires that the titanium and various steel and metal alloys defense contractors use be made in the United States. ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: Other JSF options
    ... Soaring titanium prices, the rising cost of producing the metal and a ... first time a global materials supply concern has impacted so significantly ... the world is running out of titanium. ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: Titanium in the Shuttle
    ... >A titanium structure would weigh less... ... would be more than made up by lighter thermal protection. ... >the cost of titanium fabrication. ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)