Improving the Adhesion Resistance of the Boride Coatings to AISI 316L Steel Substrate by Diffusion Annealing

In this study, new results about the practical adhesion resistance of boride coating/substrate system formed at the surface of AISI 316 L steel and improved by means of a diffusion annealing process are presented. First, the boriding of AISI 316 L steel was performed by the powder-pack method at 1173 K with different exposure times (4-8 h). The diffusion annealing process was conducted on the borided steels at 1273 K with 2 h of exposure using a diluent atmosphere of boron powder mixture. The mechanical behavior of the boride coating/substrate system developed by both treatments was established using Vickers and Berkovich tests along the depth of the boride coatings, respectively. Finally, for the entire set of experimental conditions, the scratch tests were performed with a continuously increasing normal force, in which the practical adhesion resistance of the boride coating/substrate system was represented by the critical load. The failure mechanisms developed over the surface of the scratch tracks were analyzed; the FeB-Fe₂B/substrate system exhibited an adhesive mode, while the Fe₂B/substrate system obtained by the diffusion annealing process showed predominantly a cohesive failure mode.