3 Review(s)

The main purpose of this special collection was to gather together up-to-date knowledge from scientists, researchers and technologists in order to review the status of processing technologies, materials development, emerging applications and economics/affordability issues. The resultant scope is necessarily broad: contributors who are involved in titanium production technology, vapor, solid and liquid titanium processing/post-processing, alloy development, microstructure/property enhancement, modeling and simulation, and applications and market development were invited to participate. The diverse mix of papers presented here reflects the breadth of activity aimed at the cost-affordable use of titanium in emerging applications. The editors' opening overview paper attempts to present the broad sweep of present and projected titanium cost-reduction schemes; in both titanium production and in subsequent processing. What is made particularly clear is that the impetus, in broadening markets, for titanium is very dependent upon cost reduction; particularly in cost-sensitive industries such as automobile production.