Investigation on microstructure and mechanical properties of boron-modified 13Cr5Ni2Mo by powder-pack boriding

ABSTRACT

The main objective of the present paper is to investigate the effect of pack boriding treatment at 950°C/4 h on surface 13 Cr supermartensitic stainless steel. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry were used to characterise the grown boride layers microstructures. In addition, we performed 3D profilometry, microhardness measurements, nanoindentation tests with a Berkovich diamond tip, Daimler-Benz Rockwell-C adhesion, and ball-on-disk wear tests in order to evaluate the mechanical properties. After boriding, the phases were found to be iron borides (FeB/Fe₂B), chromium borides (CrB), nickel borides (Ni₂B), and molybdenum borides (Mo₂B). The results showed that the use of the powder-pack boriding process on 13Cr SMSS at 950°C/4 h conducted in the presence of dual phases (FeB/Fe₂B) improved the mechanical properties compared to untreated material.

KEYWORDS:

• Powder-pack boriding
• 13Cr SMSS
• microstructure
• nanoindentation
• adhesion
• wear

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.