Review of recent titanium research in Australia

Titanium is a relatively new commercial material compared to Aluminium and Steel which have been used in significant commercial quantities in different applications for many decades. Australia has some of the most significant resources of titanium ore in the world, yet due to costly and complex processing methods, it lacks an associated titanium metal production capability. Titanium has very attractive features including a high strength to weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. These characteristics make titanium an ideal material for aircraft applications, sports equipment and surgical implants. There are a number of innovative research activities that have been carried out in Australia over the past 15 years to address these applications. This paper presents a brief outlines and covers most of the research activities carried out in Australia from late 1990s until now.