THERMAL PROCESSING BORONIZING

Using the Boronizing process to meet your material improvement needs WHAT IS BORONIZING?
Boronizing is a thermochemical surface treatment in which boron atoms are diffused into the surface of a workpiece to form borides with the base material. When applied to the appropriate materials, boronizing provides wear and abrasion resistance comparable to sintered carbides.

FEATURES:
High hardness of 1600-2800 HV can be achieved on steel alloys. Hardness is retained up to subcritical temperatures (i.e. 1200 F). Heat treatable materials can be fully hardened after boronizing to optimize performance. Boronizing increases resistance to acids, Hydrochloric acid in particular. Boronizing can be selectively applied to only the area that requires hardening. A broad range of materials can be treated, including ferrous metals, some superalloys and sintered carbides. Boronizing can be uniformly applied to irregular shapes.
High Carbon/Alloy Steels Have a More Suppressed Configuration of the High Carbon Boride Layer (52100 Steel Pictured) Low Carbon/Unalloyed Steels Exhibit a Sawtooth Configuration of the Boride Layer

BENEFITS:
Increased tool and mold life Good resistance to abrasive, sliding and adhesive wear Reduced use of lubrication Can be polished to a high finish Reduced tendency to cold weld Low coefficient of friction

Inconel 718 with a surface hardness of VHN 2800 (10 gram force load)

For more information contact:

Bodycote Thermal Processing - Boronizing

Corporate Offices 5001 LBJ FWY Suite 800 Dallas, TX 75244 Phone: (214) 904-2420 Fax: (214) 904-242 www.bodycote.com

THERMAL PROCESSING BORONIZING

For carbide like hardness and exceptional wear resistance PROPERTIES OF BORIDE LAYERS:
The hardness of boride layers produced on carbon steels exceeds that of hard chrome electroplate, hardened tool steels and tungsten carbide. The hardness of boride layers on steel ranges between 1800 and 2100 HV (Vickers Hardness). Hardness of boride layers varies with material. Boride layers also retain hardness up to subcritical temperatures (i.e. 1200 F). Boride layer depths range from .0005 to .005, depending on material and application with the layer depth being matched to the intended application:
Thick layers (Up to .005): for abrasive wear. Thin layers (Up to .001): for adhesive wear and friction reduction.

APPLICATIONS:
The upper and lower dies of pressing tools used to produce ceramic crucibles. Die life of AISI 02 material increased three times by boronizing. Grinding disks for commercial coffee roasting plants. Life increased five times over the nonboronized 1042. Grooved drums (thread guides) for textile machinery. Diesel engine oil pump gears. AISI 4140 boronized then hardened to 52-55 HRC to reduce adhesive wear and friction. Feed water regulating valve. AISI 410 materials boronized and heat treated lasted nine times longer than nonboronized component. Stamping dies subject to adhesive wear. AIS D2 material

RESISTANCE TO ACIDS:
Boronizing can increase the resistance of low alloy steel to acids such as Sulfuric, Phosphoric and Hydrochloric. Boronized austenitic stainless steel has excellent resistance to Hydrochloric acid.

selectively boronized to reduce cold welding increased life of the dies eight-ten times. Extrusion and injection molding augers, barrels and die components to reduce friction and increase service life.

MATERIAL SELECTION:
Boronizing can be applied to a wide range of steel alloys including carbon steel, low alloy steel, tool steel and stainless steel. In addition, material such as nickel-based alloys, cobalt-based alloys and molybdenum can be boronized. Nickel alloy can be boronized without sacrificing corrosion resistance, as well as producing extreme hard surface wear resistance. The wear resistance of sintered carbides can be enhanced by boronizing, as the surface of the soft cobalt or nickel binder will form borides. A minimum of 7% cobalt is required. Low alloy steels that have been carburized can be subsequently boronized and then rehardened. Air hardening tool steels that have been boronized can be fully hardened to optimize core properties. Aluminum, silicon and nitrogen bearing steels are not good candidates for boronizing because they form brittle layers.The use of resulfurized and leaded steels is not recommended as these alloying elements promote boride layer spalling and cracking.

PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS:
Bodycote uses EKabor* powder as the boronizing media. Parts to be treated are placed in intimate contact with the EKabor powder and then placed in a furnace. The parts are heated to the range of 1500 F - 1800 F under a protective atmosphere and held for a predetermined time. The length of time the parts spend at high temperature depends on the material and the layer depth required. Times at temperature range from one to eight hours. Parts are then cooled to room temperature and the Ekabor powder removed. Surface growth due to boronizing generally runs 15% to 30% of the layer depth per surface. This growth varies with material but is predictable and repeatable for a given part geometry and treatment cycle.
* EKabor is a registered trademark of BorTec GmbH.

For more information contact:

Bodycote Thermal Processing - Boronizing

Corporate Offices 5001 LBJ FWY Suite 800 Dallas, TX 75244 Phone: (214) 904-2420 Fax: (214) 904-242 www.bodycote.com

Copyright 2002 . 12/02 BOD rev3