Enhancement of tribo-corrosion performance of carbon steel through boronizing and BN-based coatings

The performance of iron boride coatings on carbon steel (cs) produced through thermal diffusion was investigated under tribo-corrosion conditions and compared with bare CS and 316L stainless steel. The tribological experiments involved reciprocating tests under both dry sliding and tribocorrosion conditions with a ball-on-flat geometry. The coatings demonstrated enhanced wear resistance primarily due to higher hardness and chemical inertness of the iron boride protective layer. Multi-layered structure of h-BN or other BN based compounds above the boronized steel reduced the ability for crack propagation as well as promoting a decrease in the friction coefficient (COF) by approximately 20%-40%, compared to CS. The microstructure and surface morphology of the worn surfaces were evaluated, which allowed better understanding the tribo-corrosion mechanisms in tested samples.

Automated summary

Iron boride coatings produced through thermal diffusion on carbon steel exhibited enhanced wear resistance due to higher hardness and chemical inertness of the protective layer. Under tribo-corrosion conditions, the multi-layered structure above boronized steel reduced crack propagation and decreased the friction coefficient.