Abstract
This study investigated how boronizing affects the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of boronized carbon steel 1020 (0.049 wt.% C and 12.700 wt.% B) and stainless steel 304 (0.003 wt.% C and 8.940 wt.% B). Both materials were boronized using Borax powder at 900°C for eight hours, forming boride layers on their surfaces. The light optical microscope revealed distinct differences between the two steels with carbon steel 1020 developing a thick sawtooth-shaped boride layer while stainless steel 304 formed a thin more compact layer. XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis confirmed the presence of the FeB phase in both samples. Case boronizing significantly increased the surface hardness of both steels with carbon steel 1020 showing a greater hardness than stainless steel 304 as confirmed by hardness profiling. Corrosion resistance improved in both materials after boronizing, though the effect was more pronounced in carbon steel 1020 which saw a nearly fivefold increase in corrosion resistance compared to its untreated reference sample. Despite that stainless steel 304 remained the most corrosion-resistant overall even after the slight improvement from boronizing. In conclusion, boronized carbon steel 1020 exhibited the greatest overall improvement in mechanical properties particularly in terms of hardness and corrosion resistance making it an excellent candidate for applications requiring enhanced durability and long service life.