RBSL to lead titanium recycling project for defence applications

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) has been awarded a contract to investigate ways of using recycled titanium in defence equipment.

The Affordable Titanium for Defence project was awarded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and is worth up to £3.5m over four years.

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Titanium has a similar strength and is approximately half the weight of steel. The USAF’s A-10 aircraft is notable because it contains around 540kg of titanium armour, but the element is expensive and steel tends to prevail in military equipment. The RBSL-led team will develop a solution that recycles titanium swarf and turns it into a reusable product at reduced cost and effort.

RBSL and its partners will explore which type of waste material is best to use, how best to process the material, and what material properties work best for defence equipment such as combat vehicle armour.  The project will also involve testing to assess ballistic, fatigue, and corrosion performance if used in-service across land, maritime, or air equipment.

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