An attempt has been made to develop a method for hardening titanium al
loys by laser treatment in a nitrogen jet. The modified zone consists
of a thin (5 mum) layer of titanium nitride and a layer (nearly 150 mu
m) of solid solution of nitrogen in titanium. Surface plastic deformat
ion (SPD) of the treated surface decreased the roughness of the surfac
e without any additional mechanical treatment. The optimum parameters
of laser treatment and SPD were chosen to produce the nitrided surface
layer with minimum roughness, no cracks and no residual stresses. The
wear test indicated the real possibility of manufacturing friction jo
ints from light titanium alloys with subsequent laser nitriding and SP
D treatments.