Originally Posted by
mingoglia
Just playing devil's advocate here... but why is it that titanium turnbuckles are superior to their steel counterparts if titanium parts are weaker than their steel counterparts? If I were to guess, I'd say that the titanium is stiffer, but when it does go it tends to snap and not bend.
No, titanium bends more readily. The reason it's used in turnbuckles is that it's light (main reason) and it doesn't break until it has been stretched many times further than steel or aluminum. This is why it's used in situations where total failure is worse than deforming (like aircraft engines).