Improving the wear and corrosion resistance of martensitic stainless steel by paste boriding treatment

Surface hardening techniques of steel are of great practical interest for applications in the petroleum industry. The boriding technique is one of the most economical choices. In this work, a paste boriding process is performed to increase the wear and corrosion resistance of AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel. The surface wear and corrosion resistance of the steel were significantly improved via the paste boriding treatment. The microstructure of the borided layer consists of FeB and Fe2B, which are located in the external and internal layers of the borided layer, respectively. As the boriding temperature rises, the thickness of the borided layer increases, which at the same time leads to an increase in the number of voids.