SURFACE MODIFICATION of Fe-8Si ALLOY by BORONIZING AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract

In this study Fe-Si binary alloy containing 8 at. % Si and pure iron were pack boronised at 900 degrees C, 1000 degrees C and 1100 degrees C for 3 h using Ekabor II powder. The microstructure, chemical composition, phase contents and microhardness of the formed boride coatings were characterized by means of XRD, SEM-EDS and Vickers Microhardness measurements. The saw-tooth morphology was observed on both substrates, it tended coarsen with boriding temperature and especially with the addition of Si to the substrate. Silicon did not dissolve in the boride layer but accumulated between boride layer and Fe-8Si substrate and formed a Si rich transition zone with an average hardness of 500 HV. The average hardness value of the boride layers on both substrates were approximately 2200 HV. The boride layer thickness increased near-linearly with boronizing temperature for both materials. The presence of silicon in the substrate reduced the thickness of boride layer compared to the boride layer thickness on pure iron. The amount of boron rich FeB phase compared to Fe2B phase was higher on the boride layer of Fe-Si alloy than of pure iron.