Study on the Effect of Pretreatment and Heat Treatment on the Properties of Electroless Nickel Plating on Titanium Alloy

In order to meet the weight reduction requirement of the new generation fighters, titanium alloy actuator is gradually replacing the traditional steel actuator. In order to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of titanium alloy, the electroless nickel plating process of titanium alloy is studied, and the effects of different pretreatment and heat treatment methods on the coating performance are explored. The hardness, thickness, surface morphology, adhesion, film composition and hydrogen content of TC6 titanium alloy after nickel plating are tested and analyzed by using hardness tester, scanning electron microscope and energy spectrum tester. The results show that the Ni-P alloy coating with good adhesion is obtained by pretreatment with low-pressure blowing fine sand and hydrofluoric acid activation. The hardness of the coating is evenly distributed in each temperature range and increases with the increase of temperature. After heat treatment at 399℃ in vacuum furnace, the hardness can reach 900HV, and the hydrogen content is 104.28ppm, which meets the requirements of product usage.