The effect of boron-pack refreshment on the boriding of mild steel by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process

Mild steel samples were borided with and without boron pack refreshment using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. Results show that the borided samples with boron pack refreshment developed a thicker boride layer compared to that without boron pack refreshment for the same boriding duration. When boriding duration is t < 120 min, the boriding growth in the samples borided with boron pack refreshment followed a parabolic growth pattern. In contrast, the boride growth in samples processed without boron-pack refreshment deviates from parabolic at t = 60 min. Computer simulation shows that the boron concentration change in the boriding media during the boriding process is an important factor affecting the composition and final thickness of the boride layer.