which is stronger.. g-10 or titanium

Are there different "grades" of titanium? Don't know much about titanium but g-10 is a bitch to work with.
 
There are different grades/alloys of titanium. Titanium is not a be all end all material even in the aircraft industry. In many application aluminum is prefferred and offers superior performance at lower weights.

In answer to the question, it depends what you want. Ti will bend first but g10 will snap first.

I like g10/titanium frame locks. Theyre lighter and grippier. I've never broken G10 and I think many other parts of a knife would fail first.

I'm excited to see what future Ti alloys the knife industry utilizes in the next 25 years.
 
When you compare Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS:material is put under tension until fracture), annealed, 6Al-4V (grade 5) Titanium is much stronger than G10. It should be noted that G10 is anistropic, meaning it's structural properties are sensitive to direction. G10 tests strongest when it is stressed longitudinally (stress is parallel to the fibers). Titanium is isotropic; it does not matter in what direction is it stressed.

UTS

G10: 45ksi (longitudinal)
6Al-4V Ti: 138ksi

Without taking into account the weight of each material, we can see than Grade 5 Titanium is about 3x stronger than G10. When you look at the Specific Srength (strength to density ratio), Grade 5 Titanium is only about 20% stronger than G10.

Density

G10: 1.8g/cc
6Al-4V Ti: 4.43g/cc

Hope that helps.

(Data gathered from matweb)
 
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Derek24 said:
Are there different "grades" of titanium? Don't know much about titanium but g-10 is a bitch to work with.
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I can tell you that G-10 is a cinch to work with compared to titanium.:eek:
Titanium is tougher---ever notice that NO ONE makes a G-10 hammer?
 
artmichalek said:
Here's the numbers. 6-4 Annealed Ti vs G-10 Laminate Sheet (www.matweb.com)
_______________________________Ti_________G10
Tensile strength (MPa)___________830_______262-310
Compressive Strength___________860_________448
Rockwell Hardness______________36C_________110M

Impact strength is harder to compare, since metals and composites are tested differently. If anyone wants to try sorting out the comparison, G10 is about 6-7 J/cm (Izod) and 6-4 Ti is 17 J (Charpy). Given the high elongation at failure of the titanium (10%), I doubt it's going to fracture under real-world knife using conditions.
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It is more reasonable to compare CP Ti to G10 rather than a Ti alloy. CP Ti is more likely to be used as a knife handle. 6Al4V Ti is significantly stronger than Chemically Pure Titanium.
 
MikeC said:
I don't think they use G10 for machines which are expectd to operate at 1100 degree F, or for high stress structural compents on military aircraft, commerical aircraft and or space craft.
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I don't know about you kemosabe, but I don't use my knife at 1100F.

Remember we are talking knife handles, so your property comparisons are meaningless if they involve temps greater than 130°F, a possible ambient temp in the desert sun.
 
Jesjes2 said:
well g10 is plastic titanium is metal i don't really think plastic is better
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Technically, G10 is a composite and not a polymer. The two are actually quite different. Composites are generally stronger, lighter, and more expensive to produce than polymers. Polymers are more often used in cheap injection molded products (such as toys). You will find composites in many places needing high strength with minimum weight such as drive shafts, aerospace, and knives of course :) . (For knives, I think the main purpose of G10 is actually for grip and environmental resistance without the extra weight. Knives that use G10 often have Titanium or stainless steel liners. I have also seen full tang fixed blades with G10 handles bolted on. Strider and Kiku Matsuda do this for many of their fixed blades.)

knarfeng said:
It is more reasonable to compare CP Ti to G10 rather than a Ti alloy. CP Ti is more likely to be used as a knife handle. 6Al4V Ti is significantly stronger than Chemically Pure Titanium.
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If we compare CP Ti (grade 2) with G10 we get:

UTS

Grade 2 Ti : 49.9ksi
G10: 45ksi (longitudinal)

Density

Grade 2 Ti: 4.51g/cc
G10: 1.8g/cc

(data from matweb)

Grade 2 Titanium only has a slight edge on G10 in ultimate tensile strength and G10 has a big advantage over Grade 2 Ti in Specific Strength (strength to density ratio).

I must comment though, that I havn't seen any knife that has CP Grade 2 Ti for a handle material (At least, it doesnt' seem to be advertised). Chris Reeve uses Grade 5 in his Sebenzas and I believe Emerson uses Grade 5 in most of his knives as well. (You will find some Emersons with a stainless steel liner for the non-locking side.)
 
AMRaider said:
Technically, G10 is a composite and not a polymer. The two are actually quite different. Composites are generally stronger, lighter, and more expensive to produce than polymers. Polymers are more often used in cheap injection molded products (such as toys). You will find composites in many places needing high strength with minimum weight such as drive shafts, aerospace, and knives of course :) . (For knives, I think the main purpose of G10 is actually for grip and environmental resistance without the extra weight. Knives that use G10 often have Titanium or stainless steel liners. I have also seen full tang fixed blades with G10 handles bolted on. Strider and Kiku Matsuda do this for many of their fixed blades.)



If we compare CP Ti (grade 2) with G10 we get:

UTS

Grade 2 Ti : 49.9ksi
G10: 45ksi (longitudinal)

Density

Grade 2 Ti: 4.51g/cc
G10: 1.8g/cc

(data from matweb)

Grade 2 Titanium only has a slight edge on G10 in ultimate tensile strength and G10 has a big advantage over Grade 2 Ti in Specific Strength (strength to density ratio).

I must comment though, that I havn't seen any knife that has CP Grade 2 Ti for a handle material (At least, it doesnt' seem to be advertised). Chris Reeve uses Grade 5 in his Sebenzas and I believe Emerson uses Grade 5 in most of his knives as well. (You will find some Emersons with a stainless steel liner for the non-locking side.)
Click to expand...

Notice that when you compare G10 to CP Ti the strengths are fairly close.

I had not seen anyone actually state what exactly they use when they say "Titanium Handle". (Albeit I now note that CRK does state 6-4) CP Ti is less expensive than the Ti alloys (a bit easier to machine as well) and is plenty strong enough for a knife handle. It seems a reasonable choice for a handle made of "titanium". But you know Mr. Reeve is a stickler for fine details, always wanting the top-of-the-line.
 
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