Why Choose Titanium?

Titanium is the fourth most abundant structural metal in the earth's crust, and is the ninth industrial metal. No other engineering metal has risen so swiftly to pre-eminence in critical and demanding applications. We at HEL Performance are always looking to strengthen our range of world leading products and again have been the first to see the benefits and performance offered to the customer by Titanium. It has meant that for light weight applications you no longer have to use the dangerous aluminium fittings on brake lines. It means that you now have the choice of sharing another world first with HEL Performance. It now means that you can be ahead of the game - have a material unavailable from any other manufacturer for such a wide range of brake line kits. It means now a select group of riders can show they are true performance junkies - wanting the highest quality, lightest materials but with the strength and performance to say you really are serious about performance. Born on the race track.....

Titanium And It's Alloys Offer:

• Availability in all forms

• Comparable cost to other high performance materials

• Ready weldability and machinability

• Weight saving - as strong as steel, but half the weight

• Fire and shock resistant

• Favourable cryogenic properties

• Bio-compatibility and non-toxicity

Applications Of Titanium

Titanium and its alloys have proven to be technically superior and cost-effective in a wide variety of aerospace, industrial, marine and commercial applications. For example:

• Aeroengines

• Automotive

• Military Hardware

• Marine

• Road Transport

• Nuclear and Environmental Safety

• Petrochemical Refineries

• Steam Turbines

• Offshore Piping Systems

• Ultracentrifuges

• Sporting Equipment

In the majority of these and other engineering applications Titanium has replaced heavier, less serviceable or less cost effective materials. Designing with Titanium taking all factors into account has resulted in reliable, economic, and more durable systems and components, which in many situations have substantially exceeded performance and service life expectations.

Increasing demand for more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly road vehicles has focused interest on weight reduction and improved performance. Automotive applications of titanium follow logically from the high strength, low density and, in select applications, low modulus of titanium alloys, and their excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation. Titanium has a long record of success in performance and racing applications. Applications include:

Reducing the weight of vehicles, private vehicles in particular, is just one aspect of the complex challenge which today's designers are facing. Making motorcycles smaller, an apparently obvious strategy, creates problems in providing acceptable free space. Small, lighter weight motorcycles are unlikely to satisfy the aspirations of every rider. Weight reduction in the top class of motorcycle, - contributes to the reduction of fuel consumption, and the 'green' image of the manufacturer. Cost represents a particular challenge for fundamentally more expensive materials such as titanium. A recent check in the US and Europe suggests the following levels of cost are affordable for weight saving.

* CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy (USA)

Design Concepts

Overall, a vehicle weight reduction of 1% is claimed to give a reduction in fuel consumption of some 0.7%. Weight reduction in the moving parts of the engine is however likely to be much more effective in achieving improved fuel economy than body weight reduction. Titanium alloy density is some 60% that of steel, and the elastic modulus is about half that of steel. Direct substitution of steel parts with Titanium in practice should produce an immediate weight reduction of at least 40%. The low modulus of titanium is beneficial for springs, but component redesign may be necessary in stiffness limited applications. Specific strength, and likewise specific toughness and fatigue limits ofTitanium compare very favourably to both steel and aluminium alloys.

Comparison of specific strength of engineering alloys: