US 11,987,890 B1
Methods and apparatus to case harden titanium alloys
Joseph M. Greene, Wallingford, PA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Feb. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/163,644.
Int. Cl. C23C 8/30 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 8/30 (2013.01) 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for case hardening a substrate including titanium, the method comprising:
providing the substrate to a chamber;
evacuating, via a first vacuum process, the chamber to achieve a vacuum therein;
heating the substrate;
providing a process gas to the chamber to diffuse hydrogen and a case hardening addition into the substrate; and
evacuating, via a second vacuum process, the chamber to achieve a vacuum to vacuum diffuse at least a portion of the hydrogen from the substrate.