Synthesis and evaluation of hardness and sliding wear resistance of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni-Fe-W alloys

The present work involves synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of hardness and sliding wear resistance of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni-Fe-W alloys. The crystallite size reduced with an increase in current density owing to an increase in the amount of alloying elements (Fe and W). Ni-Fe-W alloy with 23 at.-% Fe and 1.3 at.-% W plated at 0.1 A cm(-2) exhibited the maximum hardness of 563 HV. The alloys exhibited a direct Hall-Petch relation above a crystallite size of 12 nm and an inverse Hall-Petch relation below 12 nm. The wear resistance of the alloys increased with a reduction in the crystallite size in the direct Hall-Petch region and decreased in the inverse Hall-Petch region. Ni-Fe-W coatings with 23 at.-% Fe and 1.3 at.-% W plated at 0.1 A cm(-2) exhibited superior wear resistance.