Feasibility study for the development of Al-Si based coating on Ni-Cu alloy (UNS N04400)

Nickel-based alloys and superalloys find wide applications in marine, chemical and nuclear industries that require prolonged high-performance materials and sustenance against severe environments. Such materials are prone to corrosion due to varied kind of existing chemistries that exist within the actual operating conditions. To overcome such problems, several methods of process improvement, surface treatment and coating techniques are developed. The current research employs a different approach to develop aluminium–silicon based coatings by hot dipping technique on nickel-copper alloy (UNS N04400). An attempt has been made to deposit this coating at 750 °C, followed by diffusion heat treatment in a resistance furnace. A coating in the range of 80–100 µm thickness has been developed. Formation of intermetallic compounds are observed. The microhardness up to 140HV0.1 has been obtained for the developed coating. This paper tests the feasibility of developing aluminium–silicon based coatings on Ni-Cu alloy which can prove beneficial against various environments. The study opens a new possibility for future researches of coating.