Vanadium boride coatings on steel

Thermodiffusion coatings (V+B) on steel have been obtained by an initial saturation with V followed by B. The properties of the diffusion layers, namely microstructure, microhardness, and phase composition, have been studied, and the influence of temperature and duration of treatment with V on steel on the thickness of the metallized layer and its phase composition has been determined. By increasing the temperature and duration of treatment with V on steel to more than 1200°C and 11 h, diffusion layers ∼350 μm thick and structures with clearly defined sublayers (zones) are obtained. VC is formed in the surface zone, which after boronizing turns into VB2.