Oxidation kinetics of boronized low carbon steel AISI 1018

The high-temperature oxidation behavior of boron coating on plain low-carbon steel AISI 1018 was studied at 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900 °C in air. The oxidation resistance of unboronized (uncoated) and boronized (boron-coated) specimens was studied isothermally in a thermogravimetric analyzer. The oxidation-rate constant represented as a parabolic rate constant (k _p ) was evaluated with the parabolic rate law. The activation energy of oxidation on unboronized and boronized steel specimens was determined by Arrhenius law. Optical microscopy, XRD and SEM were used for surface characterizations. The experimental results show that boronized coating increases the oxidation resistance of plain low carbon steel AISI 1018 about five times and prevents oxygen from penetrating into the steel substrate at temperatures below 900 °C.