For all countries in the world, aviation R & D and manufacturing industry is a system engineering, often involving many industries and fields. Especially in the field of military industry, a fighter is composed of a huge system of parts, and the most critical is the engine. In the core technology of engine R & D and production, material is a prerequisite. In recent years, the concept of titanium alloy as engine material has become a global consensus. With the continuous improvement of independent R & D technology in China, Chinese researchers began to realize the development and utilization of this high-tech material. It is worth mentioning that, as a large resource country, China itself contains rich titanium metal deposits. With the continuous improvement and upgrading of titanium alloy technology, including the j-20, many new fighters in China are expected to modify titanium alloy engines in the future to further improve the performance level.

Why is titanium the most suitable engine material? First of all, from its characteristics, the high strength of titanium is unique among many metal elements, far more than the common aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, stainless steel and so on. At the same time, it can keep a long-term stable operation in the high temperature environment of 450-500 ℃, at the same time, it also has the comprehensive advantages of good corrosion resistance, low temperature performance, large chemical activity, small thermal conductivity, small modulus of elasticity and so on. It can be said that it is the most suitable material for Aeroengine manufacturing. Data shows that three quarters of the titanium alloy materials produced in the world are used in the aerospace industry.

As we all know, with the continuous development of aviation research and development technology, the latest generation of aircraft, whether civil aircraft or military aircraft, has higher and higher requirements for engines. In particular, the most critical performance, the push to weight ratio, has become the performance standard of an advanced aircraft. From the early age of jet engine, there was only 2-3 thrust to weight ratio, to the present age of supersonic engine, the thrust to weight ratio reached more than 10, which is due to the continuous upgrading of modern aeroengine materials. From the point of view of Aeronautics theory, reducing the weight of the engine is the most important way to improve the thrust weight ratio of the engine. Because the density of titanium is only 40% of that of steel, but it has the same strength, its melting point as high as 1668 ℃ is also the most suitable high-temperature metal material for Aeroengine manufacturing.

For a long time, China has been catching up with the European and American powers in terms of independent engine research and development. Especially in the exploration and research of high temperature resistant titanium alloy materials, the gap with the world-class countries has been gradually shortened. Previously, with titanium alloy as the material, China's scientific research team successively developed tc-4, TC-11, tc-14 and other aeroengine materials, especially the advent of high temperature titanium alloy ta-12 with 550 ℃ resistance in the 1990s, which laid a solid foundation for the follow-up research and development of the fourth generation of domestic fighters.