Selection of a Medium for the Carbooxidation of Titanium Alloys

We investigated the carbonization of titanium [alpha]-pseudo-[alpha] and ([alpha] + [beta])-alloys from different saturating media at 1000°C (5 h) and a fixed charge. Depending on the medium, hardened layers with different phase compositions and properties are formed on the surface of titanium alloys. In the case of saturation from activated carbon in a carbon dioxide atmosphere, there arise oxide layers, but saturation from graphite in dynamic vacuum 1.3 Pa or in static argon atmosphere results in the formation of carbooxide layers of different compositions. We established that carbooxides enhance the surface microhardness by 5-6 times. The results obtained enable one to select the optimal saturating medium for the production of efficient carbooxide layers.