why is steel used more than titanium? is it cost?


also Igot to thinking about buying that war hammer from cold steel and thought about changing the handle from wood to steel but thats to heavy so then I thought why not polomer, fiberglass or titanium. kinda messed up isnt it.

Steel is...
tougher
stronger
cheaper
easier to machine and process

titanium is stronger and tougher and lighter isnt it? cost more harder to work  with yes i agree

Titanium is much more expensive.

Titanium is less dense and less strong per unit volume than steel. If you simply replaced an existing steel part with a titanium part with the same dimensions, it would be less strong. The advantage comes in if you can make a part of different dimensions. Then you can exploit titaniums lower density.

There are two things that affect the strength of a part: the properties of the metal itself, such as the ultimate tensile strength and modulous of elasticity, and the dimensions or layout of the part. An I-beam would be stronger along its long axis than a square beam made from the same metal.

Classic example: bicycle frame tubing. If you replaced an existing steel tube with titanium you'd have a less strong, more elastic tube. If you make the tube bigger around you can increase the radius of gyration, which means you'll get a stronger, less flexible tube, while keeping the weight the same, because Ti is less dense.

Some steel parts can be simply replaced with ti because the parts aren't very heavily stressed--for example, AR-15 firing pins. Ti is plenty strong enough to work with the same dimensions, and the lighter weight can help prevent slamfires.

Mcgredo, good info.  I've asked an engineer friend about steel vs. titanium.  After consulting his reference sources, we found that titanium only becomes stronger when alloyed with various types of steel.  100% titanium stock is not as strong as many highspeed steels.  As stated already, titanium is expensive to purchase and expensive to machine.  Additionally, you have to be skilled in working with it because of the way it flexes and warps with heat.  Difficulty with machining is the reason why Ti handguns still contain a steel barrel liner.  Apparantly titanium doesn't rifle well.  But it IS very light and extremely corrosion resistant.