Combined Effects of Optimized Heat Treatment and Nickel Coating for the Improvement of Interfacial Bonding in Aluminum–Iron Alloys Hybrid Structures

Abstract

The effects of nickel coating and heat treatment on the interfacial bonds of aluminum–iron (Al/Fe) alloys hybrid structures were investigated using microstructural analysis. The application of a nickel coating successfully suppressed the formation of defects such as gaps and oxide scale, improving the physical bonding of the interface. Optimizing the heat treatment conditions generated superior chemical bonding at the interface and facilitated the formation of a nickel-bearing phase in the Al matrix. Also, the types of nickel-bearing phase were influenced by solution treatment and proximity to the interface. By analyzing the isopleth phase diagram of the aluminum system for the ranges of nickel present in the Al, it was confirmed that the Ni:Cu ratio affected the precipitation characteristics of the system. However, when heated under conditions that were optimized for chemical bonding, the Al matrix decreased by approximately 40% (from 100 HV to 60 HV), due to grain growth. The effect of artificial aging increased the hardness of the Al matrix away from the interface by 35% (from 63 HV to 90 HV). On the other hand, this did not occur in the Al matrix near the interface. These results indicate that the nickel that diffused into the Al matrix interfered with the precipitation hardening effect.

Simultaneously Improving Microstructures and Wear Properties of Ni60 Coating by Heat Treatment

“…To sum up, under the same wear conditions, the wear properties in the untreated coating are poor. The proper heat-treatment temperature promotes reinforced phase production and the redistributed phases not only reduce the stress concentration, but also enhance the bonding with the matrix interface [27,28]. During the wear processing, the coating after 600 • C heat treatment's wear mechanism is plastic deformation.…”

Evaluation of the Mechanical and Corrosion Behavior of Twin Wire Arc Sprayed Ni-Al Coatings with Different Al and Mo Content

“…Ni-Al-based materials are often utilized as protective coatings because of their distinctive attributes, which include a high melting point, relatively low density, and excellent corrosion and heat resistance [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The addition of aluminum (Al) improves the castability of Ni coatings, allowing them to be applied in extreme environments that require chemical and mechanical stability as well as corrosion resistance [8,9,15].…”

“…Nevertheless, these coatings can enhance the adhesion of the alumina scale to the substrate, prevent delamination, and inhibit crevice corrosion between the 2 of 16 coating layer and the substrate [17][18][19]. In addition, Ni-Al coatings are suitable for a wide range of engineering applications because the Ni-Al intermetallic compounds formed by reacting with nickel exhibit high resistance to oxidation at high temperatures and improved mechanical properties [8,10,13,14]. Molybdenum (Mo) has gained attention as an ideal additive material for Ni-Al as it has excellent adhesion with various metals, making it ideal for use as a surface coating material [20][21][22].…”

The Effect of Nickel Electroplating Time on Alumunium 2024 to ITS Mechanical Property

“…As a result, the plating bath typically has a pH greater than 9, which is unsuitable for aluminum. In addition, because they are conducted at temperatures that are too high for aluminum alloys, heat treatments created for electroless nickel coatings (typically at 400 °C for 1 h) are not appropriate (19). Therefore, specific methods for improving electroless nickel-boron coating characteristics without negatively affecting the resistance of the aluminum substrate were discovered (15,20).…”

“…There have been previous studies of the characteristics of electroless nickel coatings on aluminum alloys (17,(19)(20)(21)(22) , However, there aren't many works that specifically address how the properties of electroplating change with time. In addition, coating nickel on an aluminum mixture without harming the mixture's structure required a relatively complicated and complex approach, which was used in earlier studies.…”