1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a metastable beta titanium-base alloy of titanium-iron-molybdenum-aluminum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the automotive industry, it is advantageous to use components in the manufacture of a motor vehicle that are of lower weight than conventional components. This is desirable from the overall standpoint of manufacturing motor vehicles having increased fuel efficiency. To this end, it has been recognized as advantageous to produce motor vehicle springs, and particularly automotive coil springs, from a high-strength titanium base alloy. More specifically in this regard, high-strength metastable beta titanium-base alloys heat treatable to tensile strengths of about 180 ksi would be well suited for this purpose and achieve weight savings of about 52% and volume reduction of about 22% relative to an equivalent, conventional automotive coil spring made from steel.
Although the properties of these titanium alloys are well suited for this and other automotive applications, the cost relative to steel is prohibitively high. Consequently, there is a need for a titanium alloy having the desired combination of strength and ductility for use in the manufacture of automotive components, such as automotive coil springs, with a low-cost alloy content.