Reference

Titanium Fastener Applications

Where Grade 5 titanium fasteners earn their price, and what to check before specifying one in each case.

MarineMotorsportChemicalInstruments

Where They Are Used

Application Areas

Motorcycle and bicycle assemblies

Brake calipers, disc mounting, sprocket and rotor bolts, engine covers and chassis hardware, where every gram is counted and road salt attacks plated steel.

Motorsport and performance vehicles

Suspension, brake and drivetrain fastening where unsprung and rotating mass is reduced without dropping to an aluminium fastener.

Marine and offshore fittings

Deck fittings, rails and underwater hardware in constant contact with seawater, where the stable oxide film outlasts stainless in chloride service.

Chemical and process equipment

Covers, brackets and mountings on plant handling chlorides, bleaching chemicals and wet process streams.

Electronics and instruments

Housings and mountings near sensors and imaging equipment, where a non magnetic fastener is required.

General weight critical engineering

Any assembly where the total fastener count is high enough that a 44 percent mass reduction per fastener becomes a meaningful figure.

These are the application areas that follow from the properties of Ti-6Al-4V. Send your own drawing duty and environment and we will tell you whether the alloy suits the joint.

Checklist

What To Check Before Specifying

The clamp load the joint actually needs, worked out for titanium rather than carried over from a steel torque figure
What the fastener is bolted to, because titanium against aluminium or magnesium in a wet environment will drive galvanic attack on the lighter metal
Whether the joint is made and broken often, which points to an external hex drive rather than an internal recess
The bearing face material, because a soft or thin panel wants the wide flange of a saucer head or a flange head rather than a small cap head
Service temperature, since Ti-6Al-4V is an alloy for ambient and moderately elevated temperature service rather than for high temperature duty
Whether an anti seize compatible with the rest of the assembly is available, because titanium galls without one

Selection

Matching The Head Style To The Job

If the joint	Use
Sits in a counterbore or must not stand proud	Socket head cap screws
Clamps a thin panel or a soft material	Saucer head screws
Needs a low head at M8 or M10	Saucer head bolts
Is made and broken often or is reached from the side	Hex flange head bolts
Has no tapped hole and no insert	Self tapping screws

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Are titanium fasteners suitable for seawater

Titanium carries a stable oxide film that re-forms in air or water, and it resists the chloride environments that pit and crevice corrode common stainless grades. That is one of the main reasons it is specified for marine fittings.

Can I bolt titanium directly to aluminium

It can be done but it should be a deliberate decision. Titanium is a noble metal, so in a wet environment the aluminium will carry the galvanic attack. Isolate the joint or accept and plan for that.

Are titanium fasteners magnetic

No. Titanium and its alloys are non magnetic, which is why they are specified around sensors and imaging equipment.

How much weight does a titanium fastener actually save

Titanium has a density of about 4.43 g/cm³ against about 7.85 g/cm³ for steel, so the same fastener carries roughly 44 percent less mass. Whether that matters depends on how many fasteners the assembly holds.

Do titanium fasteners need anti seize

We recommend it. Titanium galls against titanium and against stainless. A dry film or copper free anti seize on the thread and under the head keeps the torque to tension relationship predictable and lets the joint be broken later.

Ask Us About Your Application

Send the joint the duty and the environment. We will tell you which grade and which size suits it and quote against that.

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