Hardening Particulate Ti Media Through Controlled Oxidation

Oxygen in titanium is a potent alpha stabilizer that provides solid solution strengthening. This study presents a method of exploiting surface hardening of titanium particulate media. Hardening was measured on particulate matter and compared to a bulk specimen with nanoindentation. Thermal exposure parameters increased surface hardness from ≈ 3 GPa to over 8 GPa as measured via nanoindentation. This process produced solid solution strengthening without creating a distinct oxide layer or significant sintering of particles.