Electroless nickel-phosphorus coatings applications

Resistance to abrasion The resistance to abrasion of electroless nickel-phosphorus hardened to 600 Hy, assessed by Taber abrasion tests, has been found to be double that of electroplated nickel However, electroless nickel coatings are not suitable for applications where two electroless nickel surfaces rub together without lubrication unless the values of hardness are made to differ by over 200 Hy units. Galling of aluminium, titanium or stainless steel may be overcome by applying electroless nickel to one of the two mating surfaces. 

A wide range of applications for hard, wear-resistant coatings of electroless nickel containing silicon carbide particles have been discussed by Weissenberger . The solution is basically for nickel-phosphorus coatings, but contains an addition of 5-15 g/1 silicon carbide. Hiibner and Ostermann have published a comparison between electroless nickel-silicon carbide, electrodeposited nickel-silicon carbide, and hard chromium engineering coatings. 

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