Alpha case is an undesired result of machining titanium caused by exposure to oxygen. Pure titanium is strong and light, but can be brittle. Methods to remove oxygen include vacuum metallurgy, pickling, and chemical reactions. The use of pure titanium is limited due to the difficulty of avoiding alpha case.
An alpha case is an unwanted byproduct of machining titanium. It occurs when heated titanium is exposed to oxygen. The Alpha case is very fragile and not usable in most industrial or commercial functions.
Titanium is a durable metal commonly found throughout the earth’s crust. This metal is very useful for engineers as it is both strong and relatively light. It can be used in circuits because it resists corrosion and in airplanes due to its lightness. Titanium binds easily with oxygen and can be very brittle in its natural state. However, there is a form of titanium/oxygen alloy called rutile that retains the more desirable characteristics of the pure metal.
Generally, titanium is most useful if it hasn’t reacted with oxygen. There are many ways to avoid or remedy this situation in an industrial environment where titanium needs to be heated to a high temperature. An often impractical but obvious solution is to conduct metallurgy involving titanium in a vacuum. This would prevent oxygen from reaching the heated titanium and allow workers to combine the heated titanium with iron, making it more stable. However, creating a vacuum isn’t always possible in an industrial setting, so other methods are more commonly used.
The usual method of removing unwanted oxygen from titanium involves a chemical reaction using electricity. The alpha case is immersed in liquid calcium chloride. An electric charge is then passed through this mixture. The result of this is that oxygen is released and the workers are left with pure titanium and another titanium alloy which can also be used in some industrial applications.
A metallurgical process called pickling can also be used to remove unwanted elements from titanium. Immersing titanium in a solution of hydrogen and fluorine or hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen can cause unwanted oxygen molecules to scatter, creating a useful titanium. This process is used less because it is expensive and creates hazardous waste that is difficult to dispose of.
The use of titanium today is somewhat limited due to the difficulty and high cost of avoiding or reversing the creation of the alpha case. The durability, strength, and light weight characteristics of refined titanium are attractive, especially for use in microchips and aeronautics. With improved methods to avoid the alpha case, other applications for pure titanium can also be discovered.
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