The effect of advanced electrodeposited Ni-P-Cu coatings obtained with scrap cu plates on the tribological performance of Al powder metallurgy products

With the increasing demand for even higher levels of wear resistance in various applications, researchers and manufacturers have been working on developing enhanced coatings for Al to enhance its wear properties even further. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of electrodeposited Ni-P-Cu coatings derived from scrap copper, as well as coatings of pure NiP, comparatively, on the wear resistance of Al samples. The study involved a detailed examination of the effect of these coatings on the wear properties of Al, and the findings were analysed in depth. In this context, the relationship between the morphology, phase analysis, hardness and wear performance of the obtained coatings has been revealed in detail. In Al substrate materials, the adhesive wear mechanism is the primary mechanism, whereas in NiP and Ni-P-Cu coatings, the abrasive wear mechanism is more dominant due to the presence of a hard coating layers. In Ni-P-Cu coatings, the wear performance was increased by increasing the hardness of the coating despite the amorphous microstructure thanks to the Cu obtained from scrap Cu. At the end of the sliding distance of 100 m, it was determined that the wear resistance of Al samples increased by about 60 times thanks to Ni-P-Cu coatings. Specifically, the current work focused on the potential benefits of these coatings in enhancing the abrasion resistance of Al, which is a crucial aspect of its performance in many industrial applications. By comparing the wear properties of coated and uncoated Al samples, the durability and longevity of this material was highly improved by the role of developed Ni-P-Cu coatings including Cu ions from scraps.