Mechanical properties/adhesion for nickel and copper 1

[dcopps]

I am searching for mechanical properties and adhesion of nickel electroplated onto nickel; copper electroplated onto copper; and nickel:copper alloy electroplated onto nickel:copper alloy. I have found a little information on the first, but not all I want and nothing on the others.

Thanks.

Dale C.
Library Manager

 

[cloa]

Have you searched for electrorefining and electrowinning?

 

[Wrenchbender]

Topic is very broad and general, but if info is lacking, start with the basics. I have no experience with mechanical characterization of plating, but just few thoughts, for whatever they're worth.

It is said that surface preparation of the workpieces and chemical purities are often the end-all and be-all in adhesion. Bad prep = poor properties. With good prep, shear and tensile strengths of 100% of the parent material should be possible. So by logical extension, cohesive failure would occur on the side with the higher copper content of a Cu-Ni interface, copper typically having lower strength. Check published strength data. If its not listed for your alloy, i would use a simple rule of mixtures.

Indentation hardness depends mostly on the substrate. Soft substrate (e.g. Cu) = easy to dent. Hard plating (e.g. Ni) = good abrasion resistance. -- and the converse.

A Cu-Ni phase diagram shows total solubility at all compositions (isomorphous), so any cupronickel alloy can be plated by another of different composition, mechanical properties again depending on the parent materials. (Sorry if I'm telling you something you don't already know.) More responses might come in if you give more specifics. Another variable would be the previous heat treatment and work hardening.

Also you might look at a Mil, Ferderal, or ASTM spec on the respective plating for any insight.

 

[blacksmith37]

I think you are talking about cohesion. If properly plated it is hard to imagine anything but bulk properties. ASTM has shear tests for cladding (A 264 ?) but a few mm of thickness is req'd. And ,if you try to pull a tensile test normal to the plating you run into complicated triaxial stresses.

 

[cloa]

Honesty who would mechanically characteristerise like on like electroplating even with electrowinning the aim is most efficient deposition with minimum porosity (entrained materials) as long as handling doesn't cause it to fall off that would sufficient as it gets further metallurgically processed.