Boriding / Boronizing

Compounds of the element boron will vaporize and react with steel and other alloys to convert a diffused layer at the surface of parts to an extremely hard compound, which has superior wear resistance. Parts are borided by heating them in a furnace in an atmosphere containing these boron compounds. The parts, heated to temperatures in the 1800°F range for several hours, can be used directly after the boriding treatment in applications requiring extreme wear resistance. Examples would include spray nozzles, rock drilling tools and cement processing equipment. The thickness of boride layer obtained is determined by the temperature, and time at temperature, as well as material composition. Generally low to medium carbon and stainless steel parts benefit from boriding. After boriding, the parts may hardened and tempered or quenched and tempered to restore core properties.