Preparation of Ni-SiC composite layers with intermetallic nickel aluminide interlayer by two-step electrochemical deposition and heat treatment
摘要
Electrochemical deposition is one of the most cost-effective methods for the preparation of composite layers with intermetallic matrix containing nickel aluminides. For this purpose, an aluminum-6061 sample was selected as a substrate and subjected to electrochemical deposition of Nickel-SiC nanocomposites after surface preparation. Subsequently, the coated samples were heat treated at 420, 520 and 560 °C in a furnace with argon atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the morphology of the obtained coating layers. The hardness of the coating layers was evaluated using a nanoindentation method. The changes in alloying elements were determined using an EDX elemental analyzer. XRD analysis was used to study the phase structure after thermal treatment. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and diffusion kinetics were used to study the phase formation process. The results show that the present intermediate layer consists of two main phases. It is concluded that the first phase of Al3Ni is formed at the interface between the coating and the substrate. In the second phase, the reaction of Al3Ni and the coating form the second phase of Al3Ni2. Due to the growth of the hard secondary phase and the uniform distribution of the nanoparticles in the coating matrix, there is an increase in hardness. The maximum thickness of the intermetallic region was reached at 560 °C, with primary and secondary phase formation detected by DSC.