Tribological Behaviour of Electroless Nickel

SUMMARYElectroless nickel is being used increasingly as a highly wear-resistant coating on various engineering components due to its excellent properties such as uniformity of thickness, high microhardness and remarkable resistance to galling and wear.This paper presents investigations into the tribological properties of three electroless nickel coatings containing phosphorus in the range of 8 to 11%. The lubricated wear behaviour of the deposits was assessed by means of the disc-on-pin method. The impact of parameters such as load and temperature upon the wear resistance of the coatings in the as-deposited and heat-treated conditions was also taken into consideration. The wear resistance of the coatings was studied against itself as well as against alloy steel. The extent of wear was determined using a profilometer. The morphology of the wear tracks was examined by SEM.