Microstructural and mechanical characterisation of electroplated nickel matrix composite coatings

ABSTRACT

Metal matrix composite coatings reinforced with hard ceramic particles are attracting growing interest due to their promising mechanical properties. In the present work, a thick nickel coating, containing micrometric Silicon Carbide (SiC) particles, was electro-deposited on a steel substrate from a suspension of SiC in a Watts-type Ni-plating bath. The texture and microstructure of the coating were examined using electron backscatter diffraction combined with energy-dispersive spectroscopy for phase differentiation. The interfacial strength between the Ni matrix and the SiC particles was investigated by nanoscratch experiments. Grid nanoindentation technique coupled with an image correlation-based targeted indentation analysis and a statistical data treatment were employed to quantify mechanical properties of the composite and to map and extract mechanical properties and fractions of each phase. Additional investigation of the mechanical properties of the coating was performed using peak force quantitative nanomechanical mapping experiments.

KEYWORDS:

• Electroplating
• particle-reinforced metallic matrix coating
• Ni-SiC
• nanoindentation
• mechanical property mapping
• image correlation
• peak force quantitative nanomechanical mapping experiment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

David Mercier http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1996-198X

Xavier Vanden Eynde http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4408-9540

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by FP7 People: Marie-Curie Actions [Grant Number INDMAT (1510385)]. The authors would like to thank the Walloon region for financial support in the frame of the INDMAT project (BEWARE FELLOWSHIPS), co-funded by the European Union (FP7 – Marie-Curie Actions) and NoChrome project, funded in the frame of the ‘Recherche Collective 2013’program. The authors would also like to thank EU for financial support in the frame of the ‘CLEARZINC/CLEARZINC SEM-FEG’ project (2007–2013 FEDER programs).