Analysis on microstructure, hardness and surface roughness of shot blasted-paste boronized 316 austenitic stainless steel

Abstract

In this research, analysis on microstructure, hardness and surface roughness of 316 austenitic stainless steel were conducted before and after boronizing process. Boronizing treatment was conducted using a paste medium at a temperature of 850°C, with and without shot blasting. Microstructures of the specimens were observed under Olympus BX60 Optical Microscope. Vickers Micro Hardness Tester was used to determine the hardness of the specimens while Optical 3D Surface Metrology Sys was used to measure the surface roughness of the specimens. The process of boronizing diffuses boron into the surface of steel which resulted in the formation of the boride layers that consist of FeB and Fe2B. Shot blasting process increased the boron diffusion which resulted in increment of the boride layer thickness and hardness value while the surface roughness was fluctuated. Increment in the hardness value of 316 stainless steel causes the steel to be able to withstand a heavy load.