Abstract
For improvement of the wear performance of Ti alloy, vacuum-carburizing technique was tried for the first time using propane atmosphere. During the low pressure carburizing carbide was formed at the surface and carbon transfer was occurred from the carbide to the matrix. It was found that: (i) surface hardness increased with the reduction of operating pressure and time; (ii) optimum hardness distribution could be obtained with the proper choice of temperature and carbon flux control; and, (iii) case depth was largely influenced not by time but by temperature. The two steps process was recommended for obtaining thick case depth and high surface hardness of Ti alloy. For the low oxygen partial pressure, it was necessary to introduce additional CO gas to the atmosphere.Grain boundary oxidation and non-uniformity could be prevented.
