The other night on the speed channel (I think) , they were disassembling a
horizontally opposed four cylinder (Vw, Subaru?) to be able to "Treat" the
camshaft,the crankshaft,the buckets[lifters?],the valve stems and a bunch of other friction surfaces with what they described as a Titanium alloying process
(sort of like Nitriding,as opposed to Coating).

Any one ever run across this?

I'll have to see if Kestas knows.

Saw the show. New to me as related to auto parts. But see all kinds of titanium coated drills available in last few years. Must try a set someday but imagine that coating is very thin.

an alternative to chrome plating.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Pimp my crankshaft?

You would not want a "coating" to come off [I believe].
Titanium is such a "Hard" metal that the residue of the release might cause some
difficulty in the lubrication system?
'Memory being so imperfect,I could'a sworn they were talking about almost an
impregnation of the Titanium into the surface of the friction bearing metal(s)
rather than a coating.[less wear,better lubrication]

Craig,
The new industry you suggest would involve almost , "The Emperor's New Clothes" sales approach , since there would be
no visible recompense to the vehicle's proud owner.('never mind that the "improvement[s] would be under the hood AND
inside the engine) Still it has potential...Any group willing to spend $12,000.00 U.S. for wheels on a car whose actual
value is less than $10,000.00 can and will be "Sold" anything...with the RIGHT sales and peer pressure.

Were the surfaces gold in color?... then it's titanium nitride. If it's gray, it's titanium carbide. TiN and TiC are very hard and wear resistant, hence the application in tooling and cutters. They are also extremely abrasive.

Titanium isn't alloyed into iron and steel as nitriding is, unless they're using plasma (not spray) deposition. TiN and TiC are more of a coating, as is hard chrome plating.

I happen to be a metallurgical consultant for one of the NASCAR racing teams. I've never heard of TiN and TiC used are friction reducers, so I'm perplexed as to why this technology is beig pursued. Racing technology is going to diamond-like coatings (DLC) to reduce friction.

Like you said, I'd hate to see this hard, brittle coating spall off and become a contaminant in the lubricant.

For regular automotive production, technology is bing pushed for wear resistance on cam, tappet, valve stem tips, and valve seats. But wear isn't the all-encompassing factor. There are other requirements of the material, such as toughness and heat resistance.

Let me know when they repeat the program.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

Kestas
What is your opinion of cryogenic treatment on wear surfaces in am engine?

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Thank You!
Fred
2009 ML350
2004 SL600
2004 SL500
1996 SL600
2002 SLK32
2005 CLK320 cabrio
2003 ML350
1997 C280 Sport