On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:38:09 -0700, NYC XYZ wrote:

It occurred to me that a chain and lock made out of titanium would be
the lightest and strongest of all...but I don't seem to see any purely
titanium chain locks for sale, only "titanium reinforced" steel chain
locks.

And that "reinforcement" is marketing. Titanium is not magic. It is
neither stronger than steel nor lighter than aluminum. It is, however,
stronger than aluminum and lighter than steel.

What's up with that? Surely there are those who would pay premium
dollar for a lightweight but extremely strong chain lock made of
titanium. If I understand things correctly, titanium should be
unbreakable, right? I mean, it's the stuff tank armor is made of!

Not really. Though there seems to be interest in titanium-alloy armor,
your basic tank uses steel. Steels can be much harder than titanium, and
for a bike chain, that is vital -- as long as it doesn't become brittle.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
_`\(,_ | -- Paul Erdos
(_)/ (_) |