Surface hardening of titanium by using a simplified carbon and nitrogen diffusion technique with steel and carbon powders

powder and has the great advantage of using a lower heating temperature. Moreover, heat treatment using a mixture of steel and carbon (activated carbon and graphite) powders enables carburization of stainless steel which is covered with a passive film of chromium oxide. 9) Although such powder pack methods may not be industrially suitable, they are noteworthy because they allow carbon and nitrogen to be easily diffused into metal substrates. In the present study, a new treatment for the diffusion of carbon and nitrogen using steel and carbon powders applied to titanium is described, and its effectiveness is discussed on the basis of the microstructures and the hardness in the vicinity of the titanium surface.