Ball milling and pack boriding techniques used for surface coating of AISI 1018 steel and mechanical properties were investigated

In this thesis, ball milling and pack boriding technique were used for surface coating of AISI 1018 steel. Crystal structures, mechanical properties, corrosion and wear properties of the coated surfaces were investigated. Commercial Ekabor-2 powder was used for coating. The powders used in the coating process were prepared in three different ways. Ekabor-2 was used directly at first. Secondly, Ekabor-2 powder, which was refined by ball milling, was used, and finally, the powder mixture of millediron + Ekabor-2 powder was used for coating. The coating process was carried out at 950 °C for 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours. An approximately 100 µm thick Fe2B layer was obtained in the samples directly coated with Ekabor-2 powder. However, it was observed that the thickness of layer decreased as the sintering time increased. In the samples prepared with milled Ekabor-2 powder andIron+Ekabor 2 powder mixture, similar FeSi layer of 200 µm thickness was formed on the top side of surface, while a thin Fe2B zone was formed just below this layer. In the hardness analysis, it was determined that the hardness of the boride layer increased 5 times compared to the steel. Similarly, the wear and corrosion resistance of the boride layer was found to be significantly higher than the untreated steel. Keywords: AISI 1018 Steel, Pack Boriding, Ball Milling, Mechanical Properties, Wear, Corrosion.