Mechanical characterization of pack-boronized AISI 4140 and AISI H13 steels

Abstract

Wear losses have a great importance in the world machinery industry. They cause billions of dollars in financial losses every year. Studies on surface treatments are increasing day by day in order to minimize the wear losses of materials. In this study, the pack boronizing process was applied to AISI 4140 and AISI H13 steels, which are frequently used in the manufacturing and molding industry, by using Ekabor II powder at 900 °C and 950 °C for 4 and 6 hours. Microstructural examinations of the samples subjected to metallographic processes were carried out. Afterwards, microhardness measurements were performed by applying 50 gf load for 10 seconds. Wear tests were carried out using pin-on-disk tribotests in a dry environment under 2 N and 5 N loads on the CSM Tribometer device. Wear losses were measured as volumetric loss. Thanks to the boronizing process, surface quality, surface hardness, and wear resistance of both steel materials were increased at a high rate.

Keywords

• Microhardness
• Pack boronizing
• Surface roughness
• Wear resistance

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