Tribological Behavior of Electroless Ni-P, Ni-P-W and Ni-P-Cu Coatings

Abstract

The present paper considers the comparative study of tribological characteristics of various electroless alloy coatings viz. Ni-P, Ni-P-W and Ni-P-Cu. The tribological behavior of these coatings depends on various parameters like load, speed, lubricant, chemical compositions and heat treatment temperature to a great extent. One of the main effects of heat treatment on these coatings is phosphide precipitation, which makes them suitable for anti-wear applications. The property of binary Ni-P can be further improved by depositing third particles electrolessly. The phase structure of the coatings depends on the amount of phosphorous and heat treatment temperature. The tribological behavior of heat treated samples reveals that Ni-P-W deposit shows higher coefficient of friction and lowest wear among these three types coatings. Very high tungsten concentration retard the phosphide precipitation, thus low concentration of tungsten and low heat treatment temperature produce better coating. In case of Ni-P-Cu, medium concentration of copper and medium heat treatment temperature produces better coating.