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by Cymrukicks 998 days ago
Hilarious, Space grade titanium and the thing cracks like an egg.
2 comments

Think about it for a sec. Steel or aluminium is going to yield a hell of a lot quicker than titanium. If you try to bend a phone those materials are going to yield before the glass. All the energy is going to break the frame then the adhesive of the glass from the frame.

Titanium frame? Glass will yield before the frame. There's no strain relief that the frame provides by sacrificing itself. It'll withstand more force but the glass now has the lowest strength.

So apple did not "think about it for a sec." and shot themselves in the foot?
Not really. If the frame did yield you'd get "bendgate". You can't really win here.
You're right, and it's exactly what happened here:

https://youtu.be/IS0SItAzEXg?t=437

This whole thread is full of software engineers incorrectly mansplaining mechanical engineering.

Titanium is not stronger or stiffer than steel.

What cracks is the glass on top... though indeed it's hilarious to have "space grade titanium" and then add some fragile layer for the gloss
The previous iPhone used a steel frame. The titanium makes it lighter, not stronger.
Is that the case? Because from what I read:

"Given its strength, titanium is remarkably light. When compared to steel in a strength-to-weight ratio, titanium is far superior. The metal is as strong as steel but remains 45% lighter. In fact, titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all known metals".

And if you see the test, the titanium skeleton doesn't break at all on the bending test, it's the glass part that breaks only.

If you read avalys’ comment more carefully, you’ll notice that it says exactly the same:

> The previous iPhone used a steel frame. The titanium makes it lighter, not stronger.

The content you quoted:

> “The metal [Titanium] is as strong as steel but remains 45% lighter.”

Yes, not stronger but AS strong for less weight.

So, if the steel frame wasn't a problem stength wise, the titanium should be one either is my point.

Because I felt like the parent's comment "The previous iPhone used a steel frame. The titanium makes it lighter, not stronger" was about how titanium is at fault here (implied: weaker, not just "not stronger").