Structure and properties of the boride layer of steel using the plasma alloying method

Boration is one of the promising methods for increasing surface hardness and wear resistance, resistance to oxidation and corrosion of mechanical engineering parts. The diffusion saturation process is characterized by a long duration, as well as a shallow depth of the hardened layer. The use of concentrated heating sources can solve these problems. Among the methods of high-energy exposure, the technology of plasma surface alloying should be highlighted. In this paper, the study of the microstructure and properties of the boride layer obtained on steel by plasma alloying is carried out. It is noted that the boron-doped layer has a heterogeneous structure and high hardness. It is noted that the layer obtained after alloying with a current of 120 A has the highest microhardness value and amounts to 859–1265 HV. With an increase in current to 140 A, the microhardness of the alloyed layer decreases and amounts to 761–1048 HV. Increasing the current to 160 A leads to a significant decrease in the microhardness of the surface layer and it is 452–747 HV. It is known that the volume of iron boride fractions determines the degree of hardening of the steel surface. An increase in the plasma arc current leads to a decrease in the proportion of primary borides in the surface layer after alloying, and therefore leads to a decrease in microhardness. The alloyed layer has characteristic zones: hypereutectic, eutectic and hypoeutectic. An increase in current leads to a significant change in the microstructure of the surface layer and a decrease in the microhardness of the alloyed layer. The surface layer after plasma alloying with a current of 120 A has the highest microhardness (1265 HV). It has been established that it is possible to obtain a boride layer using the technology of plasma surface doping with boron. After processing, the alloyed layer is characterized by a heterogeneous structure and has high hardness.