| abstract |
A solid-state method of making titanium and titanium alloy billets or ingots by introducing titanium feedstock powder formed from titanium sponge, hydrogentated-dehydrogenated titanium, titanium hydride, commercially pure titanium and/or a titanium based alloy, optionally blended with alloying elements into a capsule and solid state sintering the encapsulated powder to produce either a dense billet/ingots or a frangible billet without pre-pressing the feedstock powder. Powder can be made by vacuum or electrode induction gas atomizing dense billets or by crushing, pulverizing and/or milling frangible billets. The crushed powder can be spheroidised using a plasma. Alternatively the billets/ingots can be rolled, extruded or forged. The capsule can be made of alumina, yttria, zirconia or graphite and can itself be encapsulated in steel, with sintering being in air, vacuum or argon. |