The Oxygen Diffusion Process

The oxygen diffusion (OD) process creates dramatic improvements in the hardness and tribological performance for a variety of titanium alloys. The process consists of heat-treating titanium alloys in air or an oxygen-nitrogen binary gas at a temperature ranging between 1,022 F and 1,652 F (550C. – 900C.) for anywhere from a few minutes to hundreds of hours. This is followed by air or furnace cooling. OD produces a top oxide layer and a near-surface hard, wear-resistant oxygen-diffusion zone (1-300 um). The oxide layer is then intentionally polished off to expose the diffused surface. Advantages include:

• The process is easy to conduct
• The process is inexpensive
• Efficiency increases due to friction reduction
• Reliability and durability improve due to wear reduction
• There are no part size and geometry restrictions