Why we use Titanium

  1. Corrosion Resistance – Titanium is corrosion proof in all naturally occurring environments. Titanium is a self healing metal which, when scratched, forms a titanium oxide ceramic "protective skin" over itself. The titanium MPK SEAL knife has been soaking in seawater for over four years without a hint of corrosion.
  2. Weight – Titanium is 40% lighter than steel.
  3. Heat and Cold Stability – Titanium is 800 degrees F more thermally stable than steel.
    At (–)65 degrees F and lower, titanium will not break, whereas steel can shatter.
    All Ceramics are brittle even at room temperature
  1. Wear/Abrasion Resistance - The ability of the metal to resist being eroded by contact with outside materials such as dirt, sand, ice, mud, nylon webbing, rope, etc. Because titanium is self-healing with its own titanium oxide ceramic skin, it is far more abrasion resistant than steel.
  2. Percent Elongation (Ductility) - The deformation that results from the application of a tensile force, and is calculated as the change in length divided by the original length.  This is usually measured over a 5cm gauge length. The higher the number the better the ductility. The Navy SEALs have been unable to break titanium MPKs in over four years of service.  This is due to the excellent elongation, coupled with toughness and flexibility under load.
  3. Toughness - Is the relative resistance of the metal to breaking, cracking or chipping under impact or stress. Think of it as the opposite of brittleness.  It should be noted that toughness and wear resistance are inversely proportional. Titanium is tough at high and low temperatures, and this is the reason that the alloy is used for aircraft that needs thermal and vibration stability.
  4. Flexibility – That property of a metal by virtue of which it may be flexed or bowed repeatedly without undergoing rupture. Titanium has 1/2 of the modulus of steel, therefore it will bend at least twice as far as steel before breaking.
  5. Non-Poisonous – Titanium is non-poisonous and biologically inert. Titanium is used as human replacement joints and hips.
  6. Strength-to-Weight Ratio – Titanium has superior strength-to-weight ratios when compared to either steel or ceramics.
  7. Non Magnetic – Titanium is magnetically inert, and is used by our Navy SEALs and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units to defuse magnetically triggered mines.
  8. There are many different grades of Titanium alloys.   Although steel has many grades, the specific space age proprietary titanium alloy used by Mission is the most stable, hardenable and blade compatible material obtainable.
  9. Quality and endurance is expensive – High strength titanium alloy is five times more expensive than the best of steels, but more than worth it.

TITANIUM IS THE WINNING COMBINATION

Metal
and Ceramic
Times
Wear Resistance
Percent Elongation
Toughness
Flexibility
Tensile Strength Kpsi
Hardness Note 3
Corrosion Resistance
Non Magnetic
Ti - CP
1
13%
8
5
50
25RC
8
10
Ti - 6Al-4V
3
5%
7
5
130
34RC
9
10
Ti - Beta
5
3%
6
5
235
47RC
10
10
High Carbon Steel
2
<1%
1
1
300
60RC
0
0
Ceramic
10
0%
0
0
Note 1
7-8MOH
10
10

Note 1 - Ceramic is highly notch sensitive and has little to no bending strength
Note 2 - Bigger numbers are better.
Note 3 - The higher the number, the harder the material

RC - Rockwell C Scale
MOH hardness scale; Diamond=10, Sapphire = 9

Mission Articles
Mission Knives Return to Mission Knives