Scratch test in boride layers: Influence of indenter tip radius on failure mechanisms

•Borided AISI H13 steels were evaluated by the scratch test.•Influence of indenter tip radius on failure mechanisms was studied.•The smaller indenter tip radius generated more severe damage. In this work, the influence of indenter tip radius (ITR) on scratch tests in boride layers was studied. The thermochemical treatment of boriding was performed on an AISI H13 steel at 1000 °C for 1 h. Depth sensing indentation test was developed to estimate both, hardness, and elastic modulus of the boride-layer/substrate system. Indenter radius of 200, 100, 50 and 20 μm were used for the scratch tests on borided steel. Failure mechanisms were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Predominant failure mechanisms were lateral cracking, chipping, and gross chipping. ITR of 20 μm developed more severe damage on the borided AISI H13 surface and the more severe substrate plastic deformation was obtained by ITR of 200 μm.