Wear of electroless nickel-phosphorus coatings

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Abstract
The unlubricated wear behaviour of conventional electroless nickel-phosphorus coatings containing 8.5wt% phosphorus have been determined using the Falex, reciprocating steel pin, Taber Abraser and diamond scratch tests. The results show that the relative performance of the coatings in terms of wear resistance depends upon the specific test used since each test is biased towards different wear characteristics. The Falex and reciprocating steel pin tests tend to reveal adhesive wear, the Taber Abraser, abrasive wear and the diamond scratch test, the ductility of the electroless nickel coatings. Coatings heat treated at350-400°C exhibited the lowest abrasive and adhesive wear rates whereas the as-plated deposits gave the highest ductility. It is proposed that the high adhesive wear rate of the as-deposited coatings is due to their relatively high plasticity and enhanced junction growth rates.