Tribological behaviour and characterisation of Ni-WS2 composite coating

WS2 particulates were incorporated in the Nickel matrix through electro deposition process, to obtain a composite coating with improved tribological properties. EN31 steel was used as the work piece for the electro deposition process. Different characterisation processes, such as, microstructure examination, XRD analysis, wear and friction behaviour of the coated surface were carried out. The experimental results indicates that uniform Ni-WS2 composite coating with minimum cracks can be obtained with the current density of 10 mA/cm², bath temperature of 40°C, pH level of 04 and WS2 particle concentration of 30 g/l; the coefficient of friction is reduced from 0.8 to 0.4 with the incorporation of WS2 particulates in the Nickel matrix as compared to the parent surface.