The
effects of applied magnetic field, B (both
parallel and perpendicular) during process of electrodeposition of
Ni–Cd alloy coating on mild steel from a newly proposed electrolytic
bath have been studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive
X-ray (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Both
parallel and perpendicular B reduced the corrosion
rates (CRs); however, the effect is more pronounced in case of perpendicular B. Progressive decrease of CR with increase in the intensity
of B showed that corrosion protection efficacy bears
close relation with changed composition and crystallographic orientation
of the coatings. Under optimal condition, Ni–Cd coating deposited
at 0.8 T (perpendicular) was found to be 35 times less corrosive than
the conventional Ni–Cd coating (B = 0 T) deposited
from the same bath for same time. The effect of B on thickness, microhardness, surface morphology, composition, and
crystallographic orientation, and hence, the corrosion resistance
of the coatings were analyzed in the light of magnetohydrodynamic
(MHD) effect.