Oxygen boost diffusion for the deep-case hardening of titanium alloys

In order to withstand the high stresses encountered in such general enginee ring components as bearings and gears, deep case hardening is necessary. In the present investigation, oxygen boost diffusion of titanium alloys has b een explored and a new oxygen boost diffusion technique has been developed for deep case hardening of titanium and its alloys. The oxygen boost diffus ion process essentially consists of thermal oxidation in air followed by di ffusion in vacuum. A total hardened case of about 300 mu m can be successfu lly achieved following the oxygen boost diffusion treatment. It has also sh owed that the oxygen boost diffusion treated titanium alloys exhibited sign ificantly improved abrasive wear resistance. Based on the experimental resu lts, the boost diffusion and hardening mechanisms are discussed. Published by Elsevier Science S.A.