Improvement of Mechanical, Tribological, and Fricative Reduction Properties of Pure Titanium by Boriding

Surface boriding of pure titanium was performed using dissolved salt impregnation to modify the surface hardness and improve wear performance. The effect of boriding temperature (950–1150 °C) on the microstructure, composition, and room-temperature tribological properties of the borided samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and ball-on-disc tribometry, respectively. Gibbs free energy was also calculated to evaluate the compounds generated during the boriding at different temperatures. After a detailed analysis of the crystal structures and the growth morphologies of TiB, the diffusion mechanisms for B atoms in TiB and TiB2 were discussed in the present report. The boriding temperature had a large effect on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and room-temperature tribological behavior of the borided samples, attributed to the changes in the composition and the increased hardened layer under elevated boriding temperature. The modeling of layer growth kinetics was also discussed in this paper. The actual value of hardened layer thickness was compared to the calculated value, and the difference was analyzed. The fricative value of the borided samples showed a minimum value of 88.9 dB for a boriding temperature of 1050 °C. The depth and width of the wear tracks decreased gradually with increasing boriding temperature. The worn surface of the samples borided at higher temperatures showed very good wear resistance. A boriding condition of 1050 °C was considered optimal, as it provided sufficiently high surface hardness and a low fricative value to reduce vibrations during practical use.