Investigation of Boronizing Kinetics of AISI 51100 Steel

Abstract

In this study, some mechanical properties of borided AISI 51100 steel with high C concentration were investigated. Boronizing heat treatment was carried out in solid medium consisting of Ekabor-II at 850, 900, and 950 A degrees C for 2, 4, 6, and 8 h. Morphology and mechanical properties of boride layer, and the effect of chemical composition on properties and kinetics of borides were investigated. The results of this study indicated that the morphology of the boride layer has a saw-tooth nature, and its hardness is over 1500 HV. Depending on process time and temperature, the depth of boride layer ranged from 30 to 106 mu m. Optical and SEM studies and XRD analysis revealed that borides formed on the surface of steel substrates have dominantly single Fe2B boride phase in addition to small amount of Cr2B.