Plasma transferred arc boriding of a low carbon steel: microstructure and wear properties

Borided coatings on AISI 1018 steel with different boron contents were produced using plasma transferred arc (PTA) melting. The thickness of the coatings ranged from 1 to 1.5 mm and their hardness from 400 to 1600 HV. Hypoeutectic or hypereutectic compositions consisting of primary ferrite or primary Fe₂B borides, respectively, and a eutectic constituent of -Fe+Fe₂B were obtained. The presence of FeB attested in coatings with the highest boron contents seems to be responsible for the intergranular cracks extending from the surface of the coatings to the substrate. Crack free coatings corresponding to the minimum quantity of eutectic and with a minor quantity of FeB were subjected to pin on disk wear testing and compared to the steel of the substrate. It was found that the wear rate of the borided coatings was about four orders of magnitude lower than the wear rate of the steel substrate. A transition from mild to severe wear was observed for the steel substrate material, but it was absent in the case of the borided coatings for the entire range of the applied loads examined. It is shown that the transition in the case of steel occurs when grooving and plastic deformation is replaced by intense cracking of the material above a critical load. In the case of the borided layer the dominant wear mechanism is delamination of the eutectic, however, the platelike borides are able to support the load and remain in the mild wear range for all the loads tested. Both borided and plain steel surfaces have the same friction coefficient after a short transition period, because both develop an oxide layer leading roughly to the same tribosystem with the alumina counterbody.