Influence of Bath Composition for the Liquid Boretation Process in Steel 0.4%C
Thermochemical treatment; Boron; Steel ABNT/SAE/AISI 1040; Hardness
Two different borochemical thermochemical treatments were performed on 0.4% C steel. The first
bath consisted of 73.66% sodium borate, 24.46% silicon carbide and 1.88% sodium chloride. The
second bath was composed of 85% sodium borate and 15% aluminum, all of which are by weight.
The treatments took place at 1000 ° C and lasted 12 hours. Both samples were cooled in the air. The
samples were cut transversely to assess the thickness and morphology of the boride layer through
metallography, in addition to measuring the Vickers hardness profile. The diffusion of the layer was
better obtained in the sample submitted to the first bath (average of 47.16µm). Regarding hardness,
it was also slightly higher in the sample exposed to the first bath (288 HV). For both samples a
porous layer was generated, causing low layer hardness