Evaluating the mechanical and friction-reducing properties of boronized steels and other alloys

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Reliable protective coatings on steels and ferrous alloys is the approved route to increase wear and corrosionresistance of tubing, casing and different engineering components in downhole oil production and mineralprocessing. As one of the options, boronizing technology can be successfully employed for this purpose. Newcoatings with potentially improved tribological properties require extensive studies in the friction andfriction-corrosion conditions, as well as the evaluation of these properties with regards to the coatingcomposition, and structure. Endurance Technologies Inc. has the process for producing the protective coatingson steels and ferrous alloys at the industrial scale. However, additional studies are required for the betterunderstanding of the coatings' performance, especially, for new coatings, e.g. the effect of theservice/application conditions on the structure and materials destruction mechanism. In particular, a focus onevaluating the nano- and microstructure of the metal will be critical in reducing wear rates to an acceptablenanometres reduction in pipe thickness per hour of operation. These studies will be used for the furtherdevelopment and optimization of the coatings with functional properties, in particular for the products forfriction and friction-corrosion applications.