Boronizing

and its Practical Applications

Walter Fichtl

Elektroschmelzwerk Kempten GmbH, D-5020 Frechen

The research study "Tribologie "
(tribology) published by the Federal
Ministry for Research and Technology 1
reports that in the Federal Republic
o f Germany alone, the losses to the
national economy due to abrasion and
wear amounted to more than 10
billion DM in the year 1975, i.e.
approx. 1% o f the gross national
product. It is therefore understandable
that increasing measures are being
taken worldwide to combat wear. In
the battle against wear, EKabor
boronizing agents have proved to be
very effective in industrial practicefor
some years, and one can safely say
that boronizing is already regarded as
one o f the conventional methods o f
surface hardening 2. Above all, the
process makes a significant contri-
bution to combating wear in extreme
conditions.
taken with a scanning electron micro-
scope (Fig. 1) shows dentiform iron
boride crystals (Fe2B) of roughly
120 microns length; here the iron
substrate was eliminated by boiling the
piece in 19% hydrochloric acid for
several hours. The phase diagram of
the binary system iron/boron 4
(Fig. 2) shows the presence of two
compounds, namely Fe2B with 8,83
wt% boron and FeB with 16,23
wt% boron, as well as an eutectic
with 3,8 wt% boron and a melting
point of 1 149C (1 422 K).
Modifications o f the process
The processes known so far are
based on chemical or electro-chemical
reactions between the boron source
and the respective base metal. Potential
boron yielding materials are boron
compounds of any of the three
physical forms.
To work with gaseous boronizing
compounds requires complex equip-
ment - although the process is, in
itself, an ingenious, yet simple one.
But there are, in addition, two further
disadvantages:

Fundamental principles of the process

General Data
Boronizing is, like any other
surface hardening process, a thermal
diffusion of boron into the surface
layer of a workpiece by thermo-
chemical treatment.
In the process, boron atoms are
introduced into the metal lattice at
the surface of a work-piece through
thermal energy to form borides with
the atoms of the substrate.When iron,
the most current base metal, is boron- Fig. 1 Iron boride layer (Fe 2) in which the matrix (Ck 45) was dissolved using 18%
ized, iron boride will result. A picture hydrochloric acid

M A T E R I A L S IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981 276

 1600 ~3t,'C == -1550'C With powdered boronizing compounds deformation of the substrate and
based on activated boron carbide - simultaneous destruction of the iron
I\ 1,fo 142e'c one can produce simply and compar- boride zone.
m1"c ,1,,, c atively cheaply boride zones on steels
1400 _ ~ ( 1 ' 5 ' A -~ and ferro alloys, whereas with the Acid resistance
other boride mixtures, only at It has been a known fact for some
comparatively low temperatures time that the acid resistant properties
.~ 1200
II.~ Ul I135*C (approx. 800C/= 1 073 K) and with of low alloyed ferrous material may be
0,1-17 short treatment) mostly 2 to 3 hours), considerably improved by boron-
8 70,02) (3.8) could single-phase zones - i.e. free zing ~. Tests carried out by the
1000 from FeB - of a maximum thickness author s not only corroborated this
I--- statement (Fig. 3)but also showed that
910-* 5'C of approx. 40 microns be obtained.
Thicker zones contained inevitably boronized austenitic steels are much
t..L more than 50% of the second FeB more resistant to hydrochloric acid
800 q- phase and were highly prone to crack- than non boronized ones (Fig. 4).
ing and scaling as a result of large
differences in their inherent stress This experience has led to the success-
I L I I levels, (Fe2B = compressive strain/ ful application of the steels in chemical
600 0 20 40 60 technology, as will be described in
FeB = tensile stress).
B0r in Atom-*/, paragraph 4.
I I [ IIIIIJl I I
0 2 4 6 B 10 20
Bor in Gew-% D e v e l o p m e n t of new boronizing / /;
Fig. 2 Bin arY4system iron-boron accord- compounds
/
ing to . During the past 10 years ESK
has succeeded in developing formul-
1. Diborane, the main compound ations for the production on a large
L
used, is extremely toxic. The lower scale, of single-phase boride zones
toxic limit for Diborane is 0,1 ppm, consisting of Fe2 Bs-9 with an
compared with the 10 ppm allowed average thickness of 10 to 300 microns; /'
for the extremely dangerous these single-phase Fe2 B zones can be
hydrogen cyanide! (prussic acid). detected metallographicaUy. For //,, . .

2. Even when diluted by hydrogen, extreme erosive stress, zones of 800

Diborane is still very expensive. to 1000 microns have already been
Liquid boronizing compounds are produced using special formulations.
used either as an electrolyte or in Furthermore, there is a special boron-
immersion processes. Various problems izing paste on the market for specific
of a technical nature, tied up with the applications, such as boronizing of
process as well as the fact that a biphase produced parts and/or selective boron-
boride zone consisting of Fe2B and izing. With this paste high grade
FeB is mainly produced, have been an economic boronizing is possible as will Fig. 3 Loss in weight of a C k 45 steel in
obstacle to the large scale introduction be explained in paragraph 4. mineral acids 56C (329 K)
and use of liquid boronizing com- according to 8.
pounds. Properties of the boride zones
For these reasons the solid boron- Micro hardness ' I, V t
The micro hardness (HV or HK 2~;. Hct i /r I
izing compounds are of primary 100 - - o o ntcht b0rlerl - ~--- ~--
importance. Their essential benefit is 0.025) of the bodde zones on com- e-...--.--e oor,ert / ! /
that their use involves little equipment. mercial iron materials lies roughly , i /t t
The process may be carried out between 18000 and 21000 N/mm 2
practically in any tempering shop that thus being in the range of corundum ~
is equipped with box furnaces for case hardness. Occasionally values up to ~i
hardening operations; the following 24000 N/ram 2 HK 0.025 are measured /t E !
materials are currently available as a on high alloy steels. i / + ! I
boron source for solid boronizing The micro hardness test must be ~ ~0
[ + - - - - - + mchI b0rlert I

/,,
compounds; amorphous boron, ferro- carried out either on polished and
x . . . . "7 bor e t
boron and boron carbide. Amorphous etched microsections, at right angle to
boron is very expensive (approx. the surface of the specimen, or on the
DM 250, - per kg), whereas ferroboron surface of a work piece that has been
(approx. DM 7, - per kg) can be pro- polished perfectly after boronizing. : i i,
duced neither in commercial quantities With the Vickers or Knoop methods
nor to the required degree of purity. greater test loads mostly lead to Do--" ? ----~ 6 P
For practical application only boron faulty results (cracking and scalinga). Fig.4 Loss in weight of 321 S 12 (En
carbide is available of unvarying The Rockwell and Brinell test methods 58B, En 58C) - DIN No. 1.4541
quality, and at a comparatively low are not at all suitable for measuring in 20% HCl and 10% H2SO 4 ~t
price (approx. DM 40, - per kg). boride zones, as their use involves 56C (329 K) according to

277 MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981


Table 1 Boronizing Agents
Type Grain Size
,um
Boronizing powder I a) L 150
Boronizing powder 2 ~) _~ 850
Boronizing powder "~) ~ 1.400
Boronizing powder HM ~) _~ 150
(for carbides)
Boronizing paste ~) for boronizing mass-produced parts
and partial bcworiizing (v,,ith inert gas)
The state of boronizing technology
Boronizing powder, granules and paste
With a relatively new process, such
as this one, many new developments
come from user requirements. Table 1
lists the extensive range of boronizing
agents.
Precision boronizing, i.e. boronizing
parts with close dimensional tolerances,
should be carried out with the boron-
izing powders EKabor 1 and 2. These
powders can be re-used up to six times
if the mixture is replenished by the
addition of 20-50% of fresh boronizing
powder, the amount depending on the
preceding boronizing conditions.
Boronizing powder EKabor 3 is used
preferably for boronizing parts for
contractors' plant etc.
Boronizing agent EKabor HM has
the greatest boronizing action. It was
developed particularly for the treat-
ment of tough carbides, high alloy
steels, and small bores in low-alloy
or non-alloy steels. Boronizing
(complete or partial) of mass-produced
parts or of workpieces of complex
shape is carried out most economically
using the boronizing paste EKabor.
In the current state of development,
however, an inert gas atmosphere or
vacuum is then necessary i 1-14. The
action of the boronizing agent is
greatly influenced by the properties
of the gas 14 , and in many cases the
best results can be obtained by using
argon 1a.
Further EKabor products for special
purposes are under development.
Materials suitable for treatment
These include most constructional,
case hardening, tempering, tool and
chemically stable, wrought steels as
well as cast steel, Armco ingot iron,
most cast iron grades (among others
gray and spheroidal graphite cast
iron), sintered powder metals and
sintered steel ~s-~ 6
MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981
Density, g/cm 3
compacted
1.9
1.7
0.95
0.95
Table 22 shows a list of steel types
that have successfully been boronized.
Another benefit of boronizing is
that, for parts requiring only a high
surface hardness, low alloyed (boron-
ized) grades can now be used instead
of the more expensive high alloy steels
that are difficult to work.
However, steels containing alum-
inium should not be boronized, e.g.
nitriding steel (34 Cr A1 Ni 7 - material
no. 1.8550), also, steels with a Si
content from about 1 wt% are an
inappropriate substrate for thick boride
zones, as both these metals will be
pushed back by the boron diffusing
into the surface to settle below the
Fe2B phase in the diffusion zone
producing ferrite there. As a result
the extremely hard boride zone will
be anchored to a zone that is still
softer than the original substrate
material (Fig. 5). If work-pieces
having such a structure are exposed to
strong surface loads an undesired
phenomenon will occur in that the
extremely hard, yet - due to its
thickness - brittle boride zone will
be pressed into the very soft inter-
mediate zone and thus be destroyed.
Other metals that are suitable for
boronizing are e.g. cobalt and nickel
and any hard metals containing these
elements in their substrate. According
to the results available to date hard
metals should, to be satisfactory, only
be boronized when their cobalt or
nickel content is/> 6 vol%.
Copper cannot be boronized, but it
is successfully used as a masking agent
for selective boronizing, in the form
of thin self-adhesive films or sheets etc.
Operating conditions
Temperatures and treatment time
If the substrate material is suitable
temperatures ranging from 800 to
i.
Fig. 5 Steel with 1,5% Si, for 12 hours,
at 1.050C (1.323 K), EKabor 1,
ferritie zone below the boride
layer - the impressions of the
Knoop-diamond show the follow-
ing mierohardness values:
Fe2B 1.800 HK 0,1
ferritic zone 340 "
matrix 570 "
1050C (1073 - 1323 K) can be used,
except for gray cast iron and hard
metals. In the case of gray cast iron
temperatures must not exceed approx.
850 to 880C (1123 - 1153 K) since
the phosphide eutectic ("Steadite")
contained in gray cast iron will melt
at 950C (1223 K), with the result
that there is a danger that the surface
of the workpiece will be deformed.
The maximum temperature advised for
hard metals is around 9000C (1173 K),
at higher temperatures besides boron-
izing of the substrate metal itself- such
as cobalt, nickel or iron - a conversion
would occur of the carbides of tungsten
or, possibly, titanium/tantalum or
tantalum to form the respective
borides.
The treatment time ranges from 15
min. (e.g. for small parts in rotary
retort type furnaces) to 30 hrs (for
parts exposed to arduous duty).
Normal treatment time is to date 1 to
8 hrs. Also it must be noted that the
combination of high temperatures
+ short treatment time (Fig. 6) should
be preferred to low temperatures + long
treatment time.
Subsequent heat treatment
Since the coefficient of thermal
expansion of 14 x 10-6 X degree-1
of the boride zone lies roughly in the
278
 I I I I I L ~
| mox~m 5chichldtcke I ,~I-_- FeB, is involved is of no importance bearing in mind that the diffusion of
E 300I'~ --~mlltlere Schlchldicke~
==- I (M*tlelder IIIngsien~ ~'~ for the range of thickness mentioned ~7 boron into steel becomes increasingly
Therefore it can be concluded that difficult as the alloy content increases.
the choice of the base material is For economic considerations it is
determined by the intended use, not possible to produce and stock a

Fig. 6 Dependence of the boride layer

thickness on treatment temper-
ature and time in a Ck 45 steel
according to 8.

centre of the alpha range of the normal

commercial ferrous alloys or steels the
core strength can be improved by
conventionally quenching the parts
either in a warm bath, in oil or in air
after boronizing, followed by temper-
ing. Hence quenching and tempering
will normally not lead to cracking of
boride zones up to 150~m, if the
process is carried out properly. Yet it Fig. 7 Fe2B + FeB on AISI 316 Ti steel (DIN 1.4571), 4 hrs/900C (1.173 K)/EKabor 1
is imperative to execute austenising
and tempering in a neutral environ-
ment, preferably with a protective
atmosphere or a neutral salt bath or
under vacuum.
Boronizing and austenising may
also be executed simultaneously,
provided that the size of the workpieces
requires similar treatment times. In
such cases it is advisable to use either
boronizing granules (EKabor 2 or 3)
or EKabor paste.

Optimum thickness of boride layer

It has long been known that the
optimum boride layer is not necessarily
the thickest possible layer. The thick-
ness should always be matched to the a)
intended application.
This means:
Thick layers for erosive wear, (for
example: in the extrusion of thermo-
plastic and thermosetting materials
with high abrasive Idlers such as glass ~ t~~
I d; @, t o, i e
or asbestos fibres and wood flour or t f t
pigments such as titanium dioxide),
and thin layers for adhesive wear.
In theory, boride layers approx.
5 #m thick would already be adequate
to prevent adhesive wear. However,
4
because of the interlocking nature of
the Fe2 B crystaUites, it is not possible
to produce even layers of this thick-
ness on non-alloy or low-alloy steels.
For such purposes, e.g. for tools used
for chipless forming of metals, it has b)
been found that the best results are
obtained with high-alloy steels having Fig. 8 AISI 316 Ti steel (DIN No. 1.4571), boronized in EKabor 1 at 900C (1.173 K)
layers approx. 15 to 20 /am thick for 6 hours, according to 2.
(Fig. 7). The fact that a two-phase a) no after-treatment
boride layer, i.e. consisting of Fe2 B + b) at L000C (1.273 K) for 2 hours - in argon

279 MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981

 wide range of boronizing agents to
Table 2 Examples o f materials and applications
meet every special application, i.e.
Material Application there is no boronizing agent which can
AISI BSI produce a single-phase boride layer in
every case 2 . In addition to the repeat-
" 102() 1.0401 bushes, pipe bends, conveyor tubes, edly mentioned factors of base material
baffle plates, runner, base plates, heli- and boronizing temperature and time,
cal gear drive for oil pumps, pump
shafts
the rate of heating, particularly in
the region between approx. 700 and
1043 1.0503 pins. guide rings, grinding disks, bolts 800C (973 and 1.073 K), plays a
1.0530 castings inserts, nozzles (jets) very important role. These are the
reasons: The diffusion rate of boron
U 113S 1.0727 shaft protection sleeves, mandrels atoms, even in the case of non-alloy or
low-alloy base materials, only reaches
~" 1042 1.1191 swirl elements, nozzles (for oil bur- a magnitude adequate for the product-
nets), rollers, bolts ion of technically serviceable boride
1.2()SO press tools, punches, die,,
layers at temperatures above approx.
D3 BD 3
800C (1 073 K). On the other hand,
L2 1.221() dra~ing punches already above 700C (973 K), a
continuous supply of active boron is
Hll BHII 1.2343 phmgcrs, injection cylinders, spruc produced by thermo-chemical reaction.
orifices, ingot moulds Therefore unless the above mentioned
HI3 P,H 13 1.2344 temperature range is quickly traversed
by rapid heating, boron builds up in
H l(I B H Ill 1.23,'}5 forging dies
BH I l i a the outer region, so that during this
stage the second FeB phase is formed,
D6 1.243~, ~traightcning rollers which can often be troublesome in
thick layers. Experience shows that
SI BS 1 1.2550 dies. necking rings, punches, dra~ing this layer cannot be eliminated during
die', further boronizing.
D2 1.2001 clra~ing tools, rolls for c,~ld mills
Investigations on the removal of FeB
_6 Nr. 5 1.2714 bolts, casting inserts, drop forges, in high-alloy steels
(FIN __4
"> ) lorging tiles For special purposes, such as
simultaneous erosive and corrosive
O2 B() 2 1.2S42 bending dies, moukts, engraving rol- wear, the chemical industry requires
Icrs. drav, ing dies, press tools, pierc- high-alloy steels with well adhering
ing punches boride layers, more than 20grn thick.
-2 52 llili
The following process was presented as
13~( "~ balls and rollers for rolling bearings
a solution to this problem:
1. Production of a relatively thick,
410 410 S 21 1.4(i()6 ~al~e components two-phase layer, C~ 30/am)
2. Subsequent diffusion in an inert
420 420 S 45 1.4034 parts for chemical plants medium,, preferably in an inert gas
(f/.n 56 D)
atmosphere.
3(12 3o2 S 25 1.43()O screw cases, box screws Based on a series of tests under
(En 5SA) varying conditions the optimum for an
18% Cr 10% NiMoTi steel (type DIN
316 - 31~ S 16 1 44()1 perforated screens, valve plugs No. 1.4571) 2 were found as:
( Un 5S .I ) 1.44 II) For 1: Boronizing for 6 hours at
900C (1 173 K) in Boron-
321 321 S 12 1.4541 rings, conveyor jets, injectors
izing powder EKabor 1 ;
(t-nSSB, t{n58(')
For2: Subsequent diffusion for 2
316 Yi 1,4571 parts for the chemical industry hours at 1 O00C (1 273 K)
in argon.
4317 1.6587 bevel gears The specimens treated in this man-
ner are shown in Fig. 8. It was possible
4140 71)g A 42 1.7225 press tool dies. extruder screws, to transform the original duplex
(En 19C) extruder barrels, ram-return valves layer, consisting of 20/am FeB + lOoxn
4150 - 7(t8 A 42 1.7__~ nozzle base plates F%B, into a single-phase one approx.
( C D S - 15) 36/am thick layer by means of the
subsequent heat treatment. This means
cast iron parts for textile machines, sleeves,
moulds that in addition to a more homo-
geneous layer less prone to crack

M A T E R I A L S IN E N G I N E E R I N G , Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981 280

formation and flaking, an increase in
thickness of 20% is produced. In
practice the pores formed in the
region of the original FeB phase do
not have a detrimental effect.
Successful applications
Table 2 shows typical combinations
of materials and types of parts, which
have proved particularly successful in
the boronized form2. A few of the
numerous engineering applications will
be discussed in greater detail below:
Because of the severe erosion
caused by particles of minerals ad-
hering to tobacco leaves, perforated
strips made from 17% Cr stainless
steel (DIN No. 1.4016) Fig. 9 had to
be replaced usually every four weeks.
When boronized at 880uC (1 153 K)
for five hours in EKabor 1 or 2
powders, the service life was increased
to two years, i.e. 25 times that
previously obtained.
Fig, 9 Perforated strip of 17% Cr stainless steel (DIN No. 1.4016) (775 mm long),
5 hrs/880C (1.153 K)/EKabor 1 or 2
Fig. 10 shows the upper and lower
moulds for producing ceramic com-
ponents. The life of these moulds of
0.9% C 2.0% MeCrV steel (DIN No.
1.2842) was almost trebled by boron-
izing at 900C (1 173 K) for five
Fig, 10 Moulds for ceramic parts of 0,9% C, 2% Mn Cr V steel (Din No. 12842), 5 hrs/
900C (1.173 K)]EKabor 1 or 2
281
hours in powder EKabor 1 or 2.
The life of boronized coffee grinder
disks for commercial coffee roasting
plants is five times as great as that of
nonboronized disks. The materials is
0.45% C steel (DIN No. 1.0503),
boronized for four hours at 850C
(1 123 K) in EKabor 2 powder.
Because of the very good results Fig. 11 Part for textile machine, cast
achieved, boronizing is now also being
used regularly for cast iron textile
machinery parts (Fig. 11). Boron- priate heat treatment, then it is
izing is carried out at 820C (1 093 K) still fully operational after 18 000
for 6 hours in powder EKabor 1 or 2. hours I s
The four holes in a feed water
regulating valve (Fig. 12), made from
18% Cr, 10% NiMoTi steel (DIN No.
1.4571) and used in a large chemical
plant, normally became a single slit
after 2 000 operating hours due to
erosion. SteUite coated parts lasted
for a maximum of approx. 8 000
operating hours, whereupon wear was
so advanced, that, even with the valve
closed, 50-60% of the maximum flow
still occurred. If the regulating valve is
made of 13% Cr steel (DIN No. 1.4006),
boronized for 6 hours at 900C
(1 173 K) in EKabor 1 or 2 powders,
and subsequently subjected to appro-
MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981
iron, 6 hrs/820C (1.093 K)/
EKabor 1 or 2
Fig. 12 Feed water regulating valve of
13% Cr steel (DIN No. 1A006),
6 hrs/900C (1.173 K)/ EKabor
1 or2
Pneumatic conveyor elements for
the chemical industry have been boron-
ized in series for several years. These
elements are subjected to very severe
erosive wear through the action of
glass fibre reinforced plastic granules.
Formerly 90 bends of 100 mm
diameter and their relevant baffle
plates were made of austenitic Cr Ni
steels; their maximum life was about
6 weeks, boronized bends, however
(6hours/1 000C = 1 273 K/EKabor 2)
of non-alloy steel (St 37) had 4 to
6 fold the lifetime, under comparable
conditions.
Reducing bends (diameter 400 to
250 ram) weighing roughly 500 kgs
each had to be boronized on the inner
surface (Fig. 13). However, in view of
the irregular diameter and shape of
the bends it was not possible to save
boronizing material by using inserted
iron tubes. Therefore, the inner side
was prepared twice with boronizing
paste. After drying of the paste
boronizing was carried out in an inert
gas atmospher (I0 hours/950C =
1 223 K/Argon). The costs were about
DM 3 000, - per piece, whereas powder
boronizing would cost about DM 5 000,
per piece because of the difficult
geometric shape. This means 40%
cost saving s 9.
Another field in which boronizing
has been successfully applied for years

Fig. 13 Reducing bend (nominal with 400/250), steel no. St 37 according to 19
is that of burner nozzles, swirl elements
and injector tops (Fig. 14), both for
industrial oil firing and in plants
for the disposal of liquid chemical
wastes in the chemical industry. In
these industries, heating oil, steam
and waste are forced through the
Fig,. 14 Oil burner parts made either of
0,45% C or 18% Cr 10% Ni Mo Ti
steel (DIN Nos. 1.1191/1.4571)
MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981
nozzles at pressures up to g bar. In
most cases, the parts mentioned are
made of low P and S, 0.45% C steel
(DIN No. 1.1191), boronized for 6
hours at a temperature of 900C
(1 173 K) in EKabor 2 powder and
achieve a service life approx. 2-3 times
greater than the previously employed
parts. Only in special cases e.g. for the
disposal of liquids containing prussic
acid, 18% Cr 10% NiMoTi steel (DIN
No. 1. 4571) boronized for 6 hours
at 850C (1 123 K) in EKabor 2
powder must be used to achieve a
similar 2-3 fold increase in service
life.
Dies (Fig. 15) for making pipe clips
from severely scaled rolled steel were
previously made in heat treated
0.9% C, 2% McCrV steel (DIN No.
Fig. 15 Die for pipe clips of 0,9% C
2% mn Cr V steel (DIN No.
1.2842), 6 hrs/900C (1.173 K)/
EKabor 1
1.2842) which was subsequently hard
chromed. Such dies were worn out
after the production of 10 000 parts.
If the same material is boronized at
900C (1 173 K) for 6 hours in
EKabor 1 powder and is subsequently
heat treated, then the tool exhibits
after 17 000 parts a highly polished
surface and still conforms to the
required dimensions.
/'/"//
fs" / /
Fig. 16 Pawls of 0,7% C steel (DIN No.
-1.1249)
Fig. 16 shows four different designs
of pawls for counters. The material
is 0.7% C steel (DIN No. 1. 1249),
boronized for 3 hours at 900C
(1 173 K) in EKabor 1 or 2 powder.
The pawls already show a substantial
increase in service life, although final
figures are not yet available.
Fig. 17 Bogie suspension part of 3% Ni
1% Cr 0,5% Mo steel (DIN No.
1.6746)
Suspension parts for railway carriage
bogies (Fig. 17) made of 3% Ni,
1.0% Cr, 0.5% Mo steel (DIN No.
1. 6746) are usually worn out after
100 000 km. Replacing these parts
282
is very expensive, as the entire carriage
has to be rifted off. Suspension parts
boronized for 4 hours at 900C
(1 173 K) in EKabor powder are still
usable after 200 000 km.
In West Germany, large scale boron-
izing was first applied to parts for high
performance internal combustion
engines. Since then, boronized driving
gears for the oil pump in the Diesel
engine for the Volkswagen Golf car
(Fig. 18) have proved very successful
in service2. These boronized gears
are a standard production item ever
since this version of the car has been
produced. These two gears rotate at
peripheral speeds up to 5.6 m/see.
I Ij
Fig. 19 a) punching die,DIN No. 1.2601,
according to 21
b) boride layer on a punching
die of a 1.2601 steel
ing die made of 1.65% C, CrMoV
steel (DIN No. 1.2601). Boronizing
and subsequent heat treatment are
made in a single operation in a vacuum
furnace using EKabor paste. The boride
layer is about 30t.tm thick (Fig. 19b),
the hardness of the core is 60 to 62
Rockwell C. The original diameter
of 6 mm increases in a reproducable
manner by only 3/.tm, that is 0.5% 2 ~.
According to H. Kishimoto 22,
~b150
' 1 2 3 I
I
! r J j ~ ' , l ~ t?
[~.//J;;/.~;JC/,//., J: l ~ [ )
i
Fig. 20 Forging die o f 0,3% C 3% Cr
3% Mo V steel (DIN No. 1.2365)
according to 23 and 2
In contrast to forging dies with other
surface treatments, the boronized
forging dies showed no measurable
wear (Fig. 21). The tests are being
continued at present on a range of
production forging dies, which entail
different forging loads. Amongst similar
results are those obtained by S.I.
Gorerik24 who found that the life
of hot forging dies was increased
2-3 fold. H. Zoellner2s reported on
applications for other common mass
production process.

Fig. 18 Driving gears for VW Golf Diesel

engine
The aim of designers of compact cars
is to pack a maximum of engineering
into relatively little space. In this case~
the skew gears were arranged at an
angle of 110 relative to each other.
The tooth load is therefore appreci-
ably higher than in the case of a right
angle drive. Due to the potential high
adhesive wear on the tooth flanks,
a process had to be found which, in
conjunction with a suitable base
material, could withstand such con-
ditions over a prolonged period.
Boronizing and subsequent heat treat-
ment of a 1% CrMo steel is the opti-
mum solution for this application.
The manufacturer reports that skew
gears treated in this manner are
practically free from wear.
In cutting tools two different types
of wear can be stated: when proces-
sing metals the tools will be cold
welded (adhesive wear), in the case of
non-metallic materials (e.g. plastics
with Idlers) erosion will occur. Both
phenomena can largely be eliminated
by using boronized tools.
In punching dies the boride layer
is prone to shatter at the cutting
edges. Consequently, in practice, only
the cylindrical shaft is boronized,
over a length of about 20 to 30 mm,
beginning at 0.1 mm above the cut-
ting edge. Fig. 19a shows such a punch-
boronized forging dies in a wide range
of sizes have been used successfully
in Japan since 1972. The forging dies
200F~~~~
are made of 0.4% C, 5% Cr, 1% Mo,
C a50 -T,N-
1% V steel ("SKD 61"), boronized
for 3 hours at 900C (1 173 K)
in EKabor 1. The dies are subsequently _~ 100 . . . . . '
air hardened and tempered. The
average service life is increased six
fold by boronizing, the minimum > s01--U2"i , -i
being 2 or 3 fold and the maximum Borleren
Borle en 7
ten fold. 0
In West Germany, promising tests 300 900 1500
have also been in progress for some Anzahl Schrniedestucke
time with boronized forging dies
Fig. 21 Wear on boss nose radius,
made of 0.3% C 3% Cr, 3% MoV according to 23 and 2
steel (DIN No. 1.2365). This work is
being carried out under the direction The number of load cycles with-
of the Research Department for stood by the clamping jaws for mech-
Forging Dies at the Technical anical testing machines is increased
University of Hannover. H.G. Joost appreciably when they are boron-
has reported on the preliminary ized. In this case the astonishing
results 23 . Tests were carried out on fact is that, despite the very high
an automatic crank press (rated tensile and compressive loads encount-
capacity 3.15 kN) in the Research ered in the destructive testing of mat-
Department for Forging Dies. erials, a breaking away of the boride
Specimens of 0.3% C, 1.0% Cr steel layer in the region of the clamping
were heated to 1 100C (1 373 K) jaw serrations does not occur. The
and forged with a single blow of the original saw tooth profile was modi-
press. The force at the end of the fied to a trapezoidal profile, which is
blow amounted to approx. 600 N/mm2 . appreciably simpler to produce and,
The entire impression in the die, above all, can be incorporated before
including the flash gap, was boronized. heat treatment.
After every 300 forging operations Apart from saving production costs,
some workpieces were heated in an material costs were also reduced. High
inert atmosphere, quenched in oil, alloy tool steels (e.g. 2.1% C, 12% Cr)
and checked for wear on the boss were replaced by simple heat treated
nose radius (radius 3 in Fig. 20). materials such as 1% CrMo or 1% CrV

283 MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981

steels. The boronizing of these steels
is carried out in EKabor at 900C
(1 173 K) with a soaking period of
4 to 5 hours. The boronized clamping
jaws were subsequently heat treated
to give sufficient core strength to
prevent indentation of the base
material by the boride layer under
high compressive stress. In this case
austenising is carried out in a neutral
(cyanide free) salt bath with sub-
sequent quenching in oil.
The pipes carrying vinyl chloride in
a plant producing PVC 26 are made
from 18% Cr, 9% NiTi and 18% Cr,
10% NiMoTi steels. A section through
a part of the pressure and vacuum
lines is shown in Fig. 22. Prior to
boronizing, this part had a life of only
half a year. VC gas, having a temper-
ature of 70 to 80C (343-353 K) and
a pressure ranging from 0.067 to 12,
bar flows through the pipe bend
shown. The cause of the premature
wear was that vinyl chloride contained
traces of hydrochlorid acid, which, in
conjunction with moisture (steam
injection), had an aggressive action.
Since the internal surface has been
boronized, the life of the pipings has
been increased to more than two
years, despite the fact that the boride
layer is only 15/am thick.
Fig. 22 Pipe bend (DIN No. 1.4571
according to 25-26
Owing to the high alloy material
used, the heat treatment is carried out
in EKabor 2 at 850C (1 123 K) for
a period of 4 hours. Even after two
years, microscopic examination of the
boronized, the life of the piping has
the grain structure by corrosive
attack. Some boronized components,
such as extruder screws and barrels,
M A T E R I A L S IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981
have already proved successful in the
plastic processing industry, as has been
reported extensively in the literature.
Other boronized parts, which have
already been in regular use for an
appreciable time are non-return valves.
The life of nitrided non-return valves
used in the processing of elastomers
containing silicon frequently lasted
only 5 to 8 days. Nowadays, entire
non-return valves are made from heat
treated 1% CrMo steel, boronized at
950C (1 273 K), in EKabor 2 for 5
hours. Heat treatment in vacuum is
carried out subsequently to increase
the core strength. The life of the non-
return valves treated in this manner is
on an average 8 times the previous life.
For cutting up plastic strands into
granules of the required size the
chemical industry uses special equip-
ment. The rotors and impact cutters
are subjected to severe wear, due to
the high rotor speed of 3 000 rpm and
the abrasive granules.
The specification of the granules
produced requires the use of high
alloy, corrosion resistant materials for
the parts, e.g. 18% Cr, 9% NiTi steel.
Experience has shown that these steels
are not basically very abrasion resistant,
so that a process had to be found,
which is not detrimental to the good
corrosion resistant properties of the
base material, but provides high
resistance to abrasion.
As the company concerned already
had several years of good experience
with the use of other boronized
components (e.g. pipe bends and
baffle plates for pneumatic con-
veyors), the boronizing process was
used to solve the new wear problem.
The rotors and impact cutters made
from 18% Cr, 9% NiTi steel are boron-
ized at 850C (1 123 K) for 6 hours.
This trebled the life compared with
untreated parts.
Boronized and subsequently heat
treated steel cores are used to form the
cast cylinder bore and the combustion
chamber of two-stroke" engine light
alloy cylinder blocks produced by
gravity die casting. Compared with
unboronized cores, the wear at the
edges of the steel cores was reduced
appreciably, so that their life is about
5 or 6 times that of the previous life.
The 1.75% CrMnMo steel used up
to now has been found suitable for
boronizing. EKabor 2 is used as
boronizing agent in conjunction with
a soaking time of 5 to 6 hours at
850C (1 123 K).
The core of the steering drop arm
(Fig. 23) made of 1.25% MnSi steel is
produced as follows:
1. Drilling
2. Broaching
3. Sizing of the serrations (48 teeth)
4. Inspection of size and shape.
The sizing of the serrations is
carried out with a tool made from
2.1% C, 12% Cr tool steel. Up to now,
this tool, hardened to 63 to 64
Rockwell C, could produce up to 200
of the drop arms, which have a tensile
strength of 800 to 950 N/mm 2. This
meant relatively high tooling costs for
a mass produced part, such as this
drop arm.
"///
~ .... i
,~ 45.5 H10 -
Fig. 23 Steering drop arm, steel DIN No.
1.5122, worked with a mandrel
of boronized material BD 3 (DIN
No. 1.2080) according to 25
Boronizing of the tool made from
the same base material resulted in an
appreciable cost reduction. This
measure was adopted, as the high
compressive load necessitated a
correspondingly high core strength.
Boronizing is carried out for 4 hours
in EKabor 2 at a temperature of
850C (1 123 K). The previously
boronized tool is hardened in a neutral
(cyanide free) salt bath in accordance
with the normal heat treatment for
2.1% C, 12% Cr tool steel. The ex-
tremely slight tendency to cold
welding of the boride layer is part-
icularly significant in this application.
With two strokes per sizing operation,
the life of the tool was increased to
800 parts.
The three cone bits of a newly
developed rock drill z7 rotate on
boronized journals. Roller bearings
were used previously. The journals,
offset by 120 , support the main
part of the weight of the material cut
during drilling. They are made from
SAE EX 30 Cr Ni steel, which is
carburized prior to boronizing. The
carburizing produces a carbon barrier
in the surface layer, which ensures a
homogeneous transition of hardness
from the boride layer to the base
material.
Subsequent to carburizing, the
journals are boronized in EKabor for
10 hours at 900C to 920C (1 173
284
to 1 193 K) with subsequent heat and to abrasive wear s , 2 9 , 3 ' 3 4 4O t~00
r~ 2 bor
treatment to increase the core strength. The apparatus for testing adhesive
The cones, in which the boronized wear according to Reichert31 which
journals rotate, are coated with a has proved convenient in the past for 3000

silver-manganese alloy, which has an the qualification test of cold roiling

erosive action during rotation. Minute emulsion used in the manufacture of
particles of a solid lubricant are strip steel 32, was employed for testing ~o
2

released thereby and reach the bearing iron boride zones. The working
surfaces between cone and journal. principle of this instrument is des-
According to the manufacturer, boron- cribed in Fig. 25.
izing of the journals increases the load ~Ol 1000
!
capacity by 15% and/or enables the Earlier results/effect of lubricants i

speed of rotation to be increased. Rollers and rings of 100 Cr 6 steel

A dismantled cone bit and journal were tested under the conditions --0
2 3 4
after 111 hours of operation can be indicated in Fig. 25, already reported
seen in Fig. 24. A depth of about in t 7. To enable a better comparison
Fig. 26 Wearing surface and surface
366 m had been drilled through sand with other test methods, for instance pressure in Reichert test, steel
and slate in this time. The drilling with "pin on disk", the lubricant was DIN No. 1.2067, plain lubdeating
recently replaced by another type. agent
force in this case was 200 kN and the
speed of rotation of the rock drill In the beginning we used a HD
lubricating oil SAE 10W/50, but now It is interesting to note that the data
was 46 rpm. The operation of this
a high-efficiency grade with no additive obtained earlier in industrial practice,
rock drill is extremely economical, as
is used, namely BP "Transcal 65", were thus corroborated, namely, that
it can remain three times as long in
with which a more precise evaluation it is sufficient to boronize only one
the bore hole as previously and the
of the various tests is possible 33 part of the set to reduce adhesive wear.
time to replace the cone bits is short-
ened, which means an appreciable cost The non-boronized parts had been Moreover, this testing method shows
saving for the contractor. heat treated by the producer to reach the importance of the choice of the
H. Kunst 2 s has reported on further a core hardness of about 61-62 HRC, parts to be boronized. The abraded
industrial applications of boronized the boronized parts were not heat area remained smallest (medium value
parts. treated subsequently. The results are = 0.49 sq. mm) when only the part
shown in graph 26, from left to right: which was in constant contact and
Sets of mating parts thus exposed to highest duty was
set 1 : both parts condition as boronized, in this case the roller,
supplied whereas the ring remained unboronized
set 2: ring boronized, roller (set 4). In the present application the
condition as supplied specific pressure increased to values of
set 3: both parts boronized more than 4000 bar. When both parts
set 4: roller boronized, ring were boronized, which was unnecessary
condition as supplied (set 3), similar values were obtained
As can be seen clearly from the (medium value: abraded area = 0.63
Fig. 24 Head section and cone from 9 shaded portion of the drawing, the sq nun/specific pressure about 3100
7/8 in. J22 bit which drilled friction surface of sets 1 to 4 decreases, bar). The boronized ring produced an
1,201 ft of sand and shale in 111 whereas the specific pressure strongly abraded area of 3.31 sq mm on the
hr at 45,000 lb weight and increases in a reciprocal manner (see non-boronized roller (set 2), which
46 rpm. Cone inlays were GTAW
applied. Bearing pin was pack-
white bars). is equal to a specific pressure of about
boronized (Hughes Tool Comp.) T a b l e 3 Rollers for R e i c h a r t T e s t
Short time wear test
Short time wear tests on boronized Material Type 2~ A l l o y Boronized Boride
specimens have been reported in the No. (DIN 17006) Weigh t in ~EKabor Layers
technical literature; in these tests the -% h/"C F e 2 B FeB
parts were subjected both to adhesive /an
F : 981 N
1.7225 42 Cr Mo 4 6 / 850 70 10
R o t l e ~ s : 100 m 3,2 3 / 950 110 -
R,ng ~ ~ n: 1~ U/m*. 1.2842 90 Mn Cr V 8 3 / 850 40 15
3,6 5 / 950 110 --
1.2550 60 W Cr V 7 4,7 3 / 950 90 -
1.6580 30 Ni Cr Mo 8 5,4 3 / 850 35 15
1.2344 X40CrMoV5 1 9,5 3 / 900 10 20
1.2601 X 1 6 5 C r M o V 12 15,2 3 / 820 7 7
Fig. 25 Principle of the friction wear 1.4571 X 1 0 C r N i M o T i 18 10 35,4 6 / 900 10 20
scales according to Reichert

285 MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981

600 bar; in comparison set 1, with
both parts left unboronized, showed
an abrased area of 34.0 sq m m or
about 60 bar (Fig. 27).
Fig. 27 Rollers and rings Reichert type
appar. SAE 52 100 st/BP Transcai
65. After wear test
Results obtained with rollers made
from different steels
To examine the extent and the
manner which the alloying elements
in the matrix, zone thickness and
surface condition affect the Reichert
test results, rollers of seven different
types of steel, were made to the
original dimensions (table 3), these
ranged from tempering steel to chemi-
cally stable steel, types which have
already been boronized successfully.
The total amount of alloying
elements (~; Leg) was between 3.2
and 35.4 wt%.
As table 3 shows the boronizing
conditions chosen were such as to
produce duplex boride zones even on
some of the steel with a content of
alloying element of between 3 and
6 wt%, which is evidence as to the
action of FeB.
From Fig. 28 the size of the abraded
area determined with the Reichart
test may be ascertained. For compar-
ative purposes the abraded area o f the
100 Cr 6 (mat. no. 1 2 0 6 7 ) s t e e l
rollers (34.0 sq mm) as supplied by
the manufacturer and subsequently
boronized are shown on the left; that
of the non-boronized 1 4571 steel
(50.3 sq mm) is shown on the right.
PhOSl~ZOh[ ~ 2 1 Z
We~kst Nr 2067 7775 ~8~2 .~550 65B0
Fig. 28 Wear surfaces in Reichert test.
Plain lubricating agent
MATERIALS IN ENGINEERING, Vol. 2, DECEMBER 1981
The non-boronized rollers show big
abraded areas as compared with those
of the boronized rollers, where results
obtained range from 0.4 to 0.64 sq.
mm. Yet no casual correlation is
revealed between abraded area and
thickness o f the zone, number o f
phases and contents of alloying
elements with regard to the present
test conditions.
Similar results are obtained in
trying to establish a relation between
abraded areas and Knoop hardness
HK 0.025, and abraded areas and Rt
or R a values.
In contrast Habig, Chatterjee-
Fischer and Hoffman a4 determined,
through the "pin on disk" method,
and using a lubricant, a perceptibly
lower abrasion value on boronized
X 38 Cr Mo V 5 1 steel than on
boronized 42 Cr Mo 4 and C 45 steel.
Recapitulating it may be stated that
with the above mentioned crucial
conditions of the Reichert test the
wear behaviour of either non-boronized
or boronized rollers differs consider-
ably. On the other hand, potential
effects of zone thickness, number of
phases, content of alloying elements,
micro-hardness and peak-to-valley
height are in fact non traceable; this
is probably due to the much more
stringent test conditions of the
Reichert test regarding normal pressure
force and rubbing speed and, as a
consequence and in proportion, also
regarding thermal load.
Hence, the manner and the extent
to which the Reichert test conditions
may be modified to allow such effects
to be detected, require clarification.
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286