Difference Between Titanium and Stainless Steel

Titanium vs Stainless Steel
 

Steel is an alloy made out of iron and carbon. The carbon percentage can vary depending on the grade and mostly it is between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight. Though carbon is the main alloying material for iron some other elements like Tungsten, chromium, manganese can also be used for the purpose. Different types and amounts of alloying element used determine the hardness, ductility and tensile strength of steel. Alloying element is responsible for maintaining the crystal lattice structure of steel by preventing dislocation of iron atoms. Thus, it acts as the hardening agent in steel. The density of steel varies between 7,750 and 8,050 kg/m³ and, this is affected by the alloying constituents too. Heat treatment is a process which changes the mechanical properties of steels. This will affect the ductility, hardness and electrical and thermal properties of steel. There are different types of steel as carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, etc. Steel is mainly used for construction purposes. Buildings, stadiums, railway tracks, bridges are few places among many where steel is heavily used. Other than that, they are used in vehicles, ships, planes, machines, etc. Most of the daily used house appliances are also made by steel. Now most furniture is also replaced by steel products.

Titanium

Titanium is the element with the atomic number 22 and the symbol Ti. It is a d block element and present in the 4^th period of the periodic table. The electron configuration of Ti is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d². Ti mostly forms compounds with +4 oxidation state, but it can also have +3 oxidation states. Atomic mass of Ti is about 48 g mol^-1.

Ti is a transition metal with a shining silvery color. It is strong but has low density and also corrosion resistant and durable. It has a higher melting point of 1668 ^oC. Titanium is paramagnetic and has low electrical and thermal conductivities. Availability of pure Ti is rare since it is reactive with oxygen. The formed titanium dioxide layer acts as a protective layer on Ti and prevents it from corrosion. Titanium dioxide is very useful in paper, paint and plastic manufacturing industries. Though Ti is soluble in concentrated acids, it is non reactive with dilute inorganic and organic acids.

Properties of titanium make it useful in a variety of applications. Since it is not easily corroded by sea water, Ti is used to make boat parts. Further, the strength and the light weight allow Ti to use in aircraft, rockets, missiles, etc. Ti is non toxic and bio compatible, making it suitable for biomaterial applications. Ti is a precious metal, hence used to make jewelry too.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is different from other steel alloys because it doesn’t corrode or rust. Other than this, it has other basic properties of steel as above mentioned. Stainless steel is different from carbon steel due to the amount of chromium present. It contains minimum 10.5% to 11% chromium amount by mass. So it forms a chromium oxide layer which is inert. This is the reason for non corrosion ability of stainless steel. Therefore, stainless steel is used for many purposes like in buildings, monuments, automobile, machinery, jewelry, etc.