Study of pulse electrodeposition parameters for nano YSZ-Ni coatings and its effect on tribological and corrosion characteristics

In the present work, the surface properties of EN8 steel with/without pulse electrodeposition have been investigated. The co-deposition of nano-sized Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ; approximate to 80 nm average diameter) has been done using additive-free nickel solution by applying the pulse current. The deposition of YSZ-Ni metal matrix composite (MMC) was obtained by varying the duty cycle (D.C.; i.e. 30 and 50%) and maintaining a constant frequency of 10 Hz. The current density also varied between 0.02 and 0.06 A/cm(2)and optimized on the basis of improvement of surface characteristics and defect-free deposits. Penetration strength of the composite coated surface has been investigated with the nanoindentation test. A significant difference in the surface hardness was observed by varying the duty cycles and current densities. Corrosion test has been performed to estimate the corrosion rate of the coated surfaces. And, it observed approximately one-fourth times reduction in corrosion rate for MMC electrocoating at the optimum condition as compared to the base substrate. In addition, the adherence quality and antiwear performance of different coated substrates evaluated with reciprocating test rig. A substantial improvement in antiwear performance for composite coatings has been reported. Different analytical tools have been used to characterize the composite surfaces. Also, the effects of various process controlling parameters and corresponding analysis have been reported.