Cooperation between Nippon Steel and Timet in the market development of titanium alloy application f

Nippon Steel Corporation (President Mr. Akira Chihaya)and Titanium Metals Corporation (Timet， headquartered in Denver CO， Chairmanand CEO Mr. J. Landis Martin) have reached an agreement to mutually cooperate in the market development and sale of titanium alloy used for automobile suspension springs in Japan　and have begun to work out concrete means to achieve such purpose. They have also started joint sales activities towards Japanese car and spring manufacturers.
Timet， through its rich past experience and knowledge in the manufacturing of titanium alloys for aerospace applications， has succeeded in the development of TIMETAL LCB*（Low Cost Beta） alloy which can be supplied at an acceptable price level to car makers. It has already been adopted by Volkswagen for its passenger cars. Nippon Steel and Timet have come to a basic agreement to cooperate in supplying TIMETAL LCB* alloy to Japanese car makers through Nippon Steel*s sales channel and an agreement is being drafted for this purpose.
The use of titanium， thanks to its light weight and strength properties， has been expanding in aerospace industries， chemical plant and equipment industries， power generation plants and also in the automotive industry to a minor extent for racing cars . More particularly in Japan， its use for exhaust parts of motor cycles has been expanding rapidly and the annual titanium consumption of 20 tons in 1997 is expected to exceed 600 tons in 2002.
Features of TIMETAL LCB* alloy springs include:
1) The alloy has high strength comparable to that of existing alloy steels.
・No major design modification is necessary.
・Existing steel spring manufacturing facilities can be used without any modification.
2) The low modulus of elasticity allows reduction of spring height (wire length) to 50% to 80% of that of steel springs.
・Together with the low specific gravity (60% of steel)， as much as 70% weight reduction is possible.
3) The alloy has excellent corrosion resistance.
・Protective coating which is indispensable for steel springs is not required.
The reduced spring height， in particular， improves aerodynamics for motor cycles. For passenger cars and trucks， the freedom in cabin and cargo space design increases. Miniaturization of other auxiliary parts promotes further weight reduction， contributing greatly to better fuel economy.
Nippon Steel and Timet have recognized that there is great potential demand for automotive usage and therefore have decided to bring together the expertise of each company for development of the market in Japan.
In the future， Timet will supply to Nippon Steel TIMETAL LCB* wires/rods or their intermediate product for processing and sales to car， spring and parts manufacturers. This will mean for Timet， the creation of an additional alloy market other than aerospace and， to Nippon Steel， a new addition to its product line of alloy steel for suspension springs in which it already has a large market share.
Since this new agreement applies to the use of titanium for general passenger cars ，it has a great potentiality and both companies hope that the mutual cooperation which has existed in the past between them in the areas of titanium alloy sales to the aerospace industry and architectural use will be further strengthened.

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