Study of Milling and Sintering of Titanium Hydride Powders Aiming the Reduction of Oxygen as Interstitial Element

Contamination of titanium by oxygen is inevitable during its processing by powder metallurgy (PM). When dissolved interstitially in the crystal lattice of titanium, oxygen exerts a great influence on strength and other mechanical properties. In this paper we investigated the effects of milling and sintering of titanium hydride powders on the levels of oxygen in sintered samples. To minimize contamination, milling was carried out under argon atmosphere and the manipulation of powders was performed inside a glove box. Samples were milled at two different particles sizes, isostatically pressed and sintered at 1000°C and 1200°C. The results indicated that the oxygen content in the final samples is mainly influenced by the level of oxygen in the starting powders and the particle size of these powders.