Tharaphat Wiriyasaroj, Patiphan Juijerm, Berthold Scholtes, and Thomas Niendorf

DOI: 10.14456/sjst-psu.2019.44

pp. 349 - 354

Abstract

A thermochemical surface treatment, the powder-packed boronizing process was optimized and then performed on an
austenitic stainless steel, AISI 304. Afterwards, boronized specimens were cyclically loaded at ambient and elevated
temperatures (350, 550 and 650 °C). Then the results were compared with the behavior in non-boronized condition. Nonstatistically evaluated S-N curves and cyclic deformation curves were investigated and are discussed. It was found that the
boronizing process only improved the high cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of the austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 at room
temperature. An endurance limit of about 340 MPa was observed in the boronized condition, whereas a fatigue strength of about
300 MPa was detected for the non-boronized condition. However, at elevated temperatures boronizing was not associated with
enhanced fatigue performance of this steel.