Reactions of Zirconia and Titanium at Elevated Temperatures

The reactions between zirconia and titanium were studied by (1) weight change and bulk density determinations, (2) chemical analysis, (3) metallographic and petrographic analyses, (4) microhardness determinations, (5) lattice parameter measurements, (6) electron probe analysis, and (7) thermal conductivity determinations. These studies were made on specimens which had been fired in vacuum in the temperature range 1200° to 2000°C. Experimental data indicated that titanium contents up to 4 atomic % were retained at room temperature as a substitutional solid solution in zirconia. In titanium‐rich binary alloys, zirconium and oxygen were retained in solid solution in titanium for zirconia contents up to approximately 10 mole %. In this case, the zirconium entered the titanium lattice substitutionally and the oxygen went into interstitial positions.