Original Article

Modelling the boron diffusion in AISI 316 L steel with the Taylor expansion approach

¹ University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediène, Algiers, Algeria
² University of Mouloud Mammeri, Department of Chemistry, Tizi ouzou, Algeria
³ Faculty of Material Sciences and Technology of the STU in Trnava, Slovakia

^* e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 21 January 2025
Accepted: 8 December 2025

Abstract

In this work, a modelling tool based on the Taylor expansion model was implemented to simulate boron diffusion in AISI 316L steel. This approach utilizes a second‐order Taylor expansion to describe the boron concentration distribution under a transient diffusion regime. Exact solutions of the two set of differential equations were obtained to contrast the predicted layers’ thicknesses with experimental data. Additionally, new expressions of mass gains per unit area were deduced. The boron activation energies in FeB and Fe₂B for AISI 316 L steel were assessed utilizing experimental results from the literature. The model was further validated under two processing conditions (1173 K during 0.75 h and 1223 K for 1.75 h), demonstrating a good agreement between simulation and experimental results.