Obtaining of powders of high refractory titanium powders from shavings

The low price of titanium compound shavings is a favourable fact that enables considering them together with titanium dioxide as a starting material in the production of TiC, Ti (C,N) and TiN powders. Titanium carbide, as well as titanium carbonitride, is widely used in the production of non tungsten hard alloys, abrasives and structural heat-resistant materials. At the Moscow Institute for Fine Chemical Technology a method for producing titanium carbide powders from waste shavings has been developed by direct carbidization of a mixture of shavings and soot and also after prior enbrittlement in nitrogen or in air. For determining the optimum parameters of the process of carbidization of a mixture of titanium shavings with soot in a solid-liquid state (i.e., at temperature not exceeding the titanium melting temperature) a theoretical estimate has been made as well as experiments on models of spherical titanium particles. Optimum heating conditions are established under which the titanium carbide film forming at a temperature lower than the titanium melting point is not reduced during heating within temperature intervals from 1940-2370 K and retains liquid titanium up to its total carbidization.