Etching Titanium 1

[Ledeburite]

Does anyone have any recommendations for etching 6-6-2 titanium in the STA condition? Some prefer Kroll's while some prefer a combination of Oxalic and Kroll's. Boeing recommends Kroll's but I am not getting good results. If I swab the specimen after etching, the structure is much more different than if just etched and dried. Any suggestions?

 

[CoryPad]

ASTM E 407 Standard Practice for Microetching Metals and Alloys has the following for Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn:

Etchant 190 [8 g KOH + 10 ml H₂O₂ (30%) + 60 ml H₂O]

Swab 3-20 s

Stains alpha and transformed beta, retained beta remains white

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[Ledeburite]

Thank you!