Electrochemical boriding of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V

Boriding is well known as a thermochemical surface hardening method, there are several types and compositions for carrying out this treatment. In this work, a novel method based on the electrochemical boriding applied on titanium alloy at 950 degrees C for 30 min, this method has an electromagnetic frequency in the range of 100-500 kHz during electrolysis has been proposed and realized on Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The results obtained showed a very fast formation of boride layer, for a few minutes, of a mono-phased layer with a thickness of 55 mu m and a micro hardness of 1850 HV and low fracture toughness of boride layer Ti2B. The chemical and phase composition of the investigated layers strongly influenced their hardness and fracture toughness. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.