Metal Science and Heat Treatment l,b/. 41. Nos.

11 12, 1999

UDC 669.14.018.258.8:669.131.6:621.785.53

BORONIZING AND RESISTANCE OF STEEL

AND CAST IRON TO THERMAL EROSION

S. V. Zagulyaeva, A. K. Denisyuk, and L. S. Makashova

Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 11, pp. 10 - 12, November, 1999.

The effect of boronizing on the structure of steels 3Kh2V8F, 4Kh5MFS, and 40Kh and gray cast iron SChI5
and their resistance to thermal erosion is investigated. A method for testing the resistance of the materials to
thermal erosion using high-frequency current (HFC) is described. It is shown that boronizing by the suggested
regime increases the resistance of all the studied materials to thermal erosion.

INTRODUCTION 3 K h 2 V 8 F , 4 K h 5 M F S and 4 0 K h and gray cast iron S C h I 5 ,

Parts o f press molds and plunger pairs for pressure cast-
ing o f a l u m i n u m alloys are fabricated from die steels
3 K h 2 V 8 F and 4 K h 5 M F S , structural steels, and cast iron. The
resistance o f the parts to thermal erosion and wear is in-
creased by using various kinds o f c h e m i c a l heat treatment
[1 - 3 ] .
METHODS OF STUDY
In the present w o r k w e studied the effect o f boronizing
on the structure and resistance to thermal erosion o f steels
often used for plunger-pair rods.
The steel s p e c i m e n s (60 m m long and 20 m m in diame-
ter) w e r e fabricated from h o t - d e f o r m e d annealed prefonns,
and the iron s p e c i m e n s were fabricated from cast preforms o f
rods o f plunger pairs.
The resistance to thermal erosion was d e t e r m i n e d by the
f o l l o w i n g method. Cylindrical s p e c i m e n s with a polished
surface (Ra = 0,63 jam), after boronizing, w e r e heated in an
LZ-13 H F C installation to 9 2 0 - 9 5 0 ~ with hold o f 15 sec.
The length o f the part o f the s p e c i m e n from the end uni-
formly heated in the inductor was 25 - 30 mm.

TABLE 1
Hardness, HRCc Layer thickness, mm
Grades
of steels Heat-treatment regimes without after boronizing continuous individual N." cycles
and cast iron boronizing borides borides
surface core
3Kh2V8F Quenching from 1100~ in oil + tem-
pering at 550~ for 1.5 h 50 51 - - 30
Boronizing + quenching + tempering ( 1 5 5 8 - 1700 HI/') 45-45.5 0.05 0.1 50
76 - 78
4Kh5MFS Quenching from 1020~ in oil +
tempering at 550~ for 1.5 h 49 - 50 - - 30
Boronizing + quenching + tempering ( 1319 HI/" ) 55 - 56 0,06 0.2 45
73
40Kh Quenching from 850~ in oil + tem-
pering at 550~ for 1.5 h 49 50 - - 0.06 0.12 25
Boronizing + quenching + tempering (742 786 HI,') 22 23 - 40
60 61
SChI5 No heat treatment 8
Boronizing + quenching (257 276 HV) 170HB - 0.12 l0
24 27

* N is the number of cycles to the appearance of thermal-erosion cracks.

473
0026-0673/99/I 112-0473$22.00 ~ 2000 KluwerAcademic/PlenumPublishers
474
Fig. 1. Microstmcture of the surface layer of steels 4Kh5MFS (a)
and 40Kh (h) after boronizing and cooling in the container. • 250.
The elevated temperature compared to that o f the poured
liquid aluminum 1720 - 750~ was chosen in order to create
test conditions close to those of operation o f press molds and
reduce the number of heating cycles to tbrmation of ther-
mal-erosion cracks on the surface of the specimens. The
heated specimens were cooled in cold water. After every
5 cycles scale removal was performed in a 25% solution of
sulfuric acid for 10 rain. Then the specimens were washed
with water, neutralized in a solution of alkali, and washed in
water again. Next the surface of the specimen was carefully
examined under a microscope in order to detect thermal-ero-
sion cracks. The number o f cycles to the appearance o f the
first crack was determined.
The resistance to thermal erosion was evaluated on spec-
imens subjected to heat treatment by the following regimes:
(1) a standard regime for the studied steels and iron and (2)
boronizing, quenching, and tempering (see Table 1).
The specimens were boronized in a boronizing powder
of grade BKB-2. They were degreased and placed in a con-
tainer with the boronizing agent, which was then put in a
chamber furnace heated to 1030~ After a 2.5-h hold the
container with the specimens was cooled in water. The tully
cooled specimens, after boronizing, were unloaded from the
container and tempered at 550~ for 1.5 h.
S.V. Zagulyaeva et aL
Fig. 2. Microstructure of the surface layer (a) and core (b) of gray
cast iron SCh 15 after boronizing. • 250.
Then we studied the structure, measured the hardness o f
the surface and the core, and determined the resistance to
themlal erosion.
RESULTS AND THEIR DISCUSSION
A study of the microstructure showed that the boronized
layer in steels 3Kh2V8F, 4Kh5MFS, and 40Kh consists o f
two parts (Fig. 1). At the very surface we observe a white
layer o f borides that penetrate into the depth of the metal as
tongues, and then there is a layer of fine globular borides
whose density decreases from the surface to the core. In steel
40Kh the solid boronized layer penetrates into the depth o f
the metal by coarser "'tongues" than in steels 3Kh2B8F and
4Kh5MFS, and the amount o f fine borides is much lower.
The structure of the core o f the specimens o f steels 3Kh2VF
and 4Kh5MFS is represented by fine acicular manensite;
that of steel 40Kh consists o f troostite with ferrite grains o f
size No. 4 (GOST 5965-70).
The boride layer in the structure of gray cast iron
SChl5 has a nonuniform depth (Fig. 2a). There are no
"tongues" as observed in the steels. The structure o f the ma-
trix is represented by pearlite. The graphite inclusions at a
distance over t.5 mm from the surface are surrounded by fer-
rite (Fig. 2b ).
Boronizing and Resistance of Steel and Cast Iron to Thermal Erosion
It can be seen from Table 1 that boronizing has a positive
effect on the resistance to thermal erosion and the hardness
o f the studied materials. Steel 3Kh2V8F has the highest sur-
lhce hardness after boronizing, and gray cast iron has the
lowest hardness (see Table 1). The core hardness in steels
3Kh2VSF and 4 K h 5 M F S after boronizing at 1030~
quenching (cooling in the container with the boronizing
agent and the specimens in water), and tempering (550~ is
high (45 - 46 HRCe ).
CONCLUSION
The resistance o f all the studied steels to thermal erosion
after boronizing increases, whereas that o f the cast iron re-
475
mains virtually the same. It seems that the graphite inclu-
sions in the cast iron have a more negative effect on the resis-
tance to thennal erosio that exceeds the positive effect o f the
boronized layer.
REFERENCES
1. S. N. Pikalov et al., (Jke o/B(,'cmizing Agent o[Grade BMB.#,"
Local Bolwnizing olDies. Methodological Recommendations [in
Russian], VNITEMR (t989).
2. S. N. Polevoi and V. D. Evdokimov, Rein[i~rcement Of Metals [in
Russian], Mashinostroenie, Moscow (I 986).
3. V. N. Zhuravlev, R. R. Faskhutdinov, and A. N. Chernyi, "'In-
creasing the endurance of steels for press molds," Metalloved.
Term. Ohrah. Met., No. 5. 18 23 (1989).