engine metel

every engine i have ever heard of and read about is either iron ,steel, or alumanum. so why dont in high end engines dont they use titanium. it is stronger and lighter. well i just wanted to know what you all thought.

Depends on the component.  As a rule, titanium is a LOT more expensive not to mention much harder to work with.  Titanium valves are being used in high end engines as we speak.

For blocks, rockers, pistons, rods, cranks, etc...  It would just be way too expensive to make it worth the marginal gain in performance.  F1 cars use a TON of new tech in their engines to get the output and life they have, but the last time I looked into it they were still using aluminum blocks with steel cylinder liners.

Not to mention its rarity.  As far as eath metals go, Titanium is less than abundant.  Considering the gains that can be seen by using titanium in other applications as opposed to the minor gains that would be seen in such a small scale in vehicle engines...yea..

Also Titanium is very quick to oxidize...faster than iron rusts...so that's a pretty substantial negative for a piece of metal that will go relatively untouched for a good 10 years.

quote:

ORIGINAL: WolfPack
Also Titanium is very quick to oxidize...faster than iron rusts...so that's a pretty substantial negative for a piece of metal that will go relatively untouched for a good 10 years.

I believe titanium is highly rust resistant. That's why some high-end bicycle frames are made from it, also some revolver cylinders. About the most oxidation I have seen is some very slight discoloration if exposed to the elements without any care.

well they found that instead of using higher end medals they are putting a special carbon coating that reduces friction, oxidation, and helps dissipate heat..........forget what it was called but we had to put new pistons in a ricer that had this coating on them.
 
also titanium (what we can get) is going to the air force and nasa.........aparently they don't like to share

As titanium oxidizes the coating of TiO2 creates a protective layer. Remove that, and the next layer forms very quickly.  Also TiO2 is much quicker to be removed than a layer of Iron rust or steel rust.