Investigation of the boronizing effect on the abrasive wear behavior in cast irons

One of the methods used to improve the surface properties of iron and steel is boronizing. Gray iron, ductile iron and compacted graphite iron were boronized with solid boron-yielding substances by pack-boronizing method. Commercial EKabor®3 powder was used as the boronizing agent and the treatment was carried out at 900 °C for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 h. Thickness, microhardness and microstructure of the boride layer are investigated. Abrasive wear behavior of the boronized and unboronized cast irons were investigated. For this purpose, the specimens were tested on a pin-on disk test apparatus. SAE 1040 steel was used as the moving surface member. Abrasive wear tests were carried out at a fixed load and a fixed sliding speed. The weight loss was measured and worn surfaces were examined.