Wear behavior of Ni-P and Ni-P-Al2O3 electroless coatings

In this research, hardness and wear resistance of two types of electroless coating have been investigated including Ni-P and Ni-P-Al2O3 coatings. These coatings were applied on AISI 1045 steel discs by electroless deposition process and then they were heat treated at 200, 400 and 600 degrees C for 1 h. Wear resistance of deposits was measured by the pin on disc method and wear surfaces and debris were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, microstructural changes were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results showed that the existence of alumina particles in Ni-P coating matrix led to an increase in the hardness and wear resistance of the deposits. It was also found that heat treated coatings at about 400 degrees C have the maximum hardness and wear resistance. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.