Effects of jet rate on microstructure, microhardness, and wear behavior of jet electrodeposited Ni–SiC composites

Abstract Ni–SiC composites were prefabricated through the jet electrodeposition (JED) technique. The kinetic energy and jet rate of the electroplating liquid were studied with the ANSYS software, whereas the effects of jet rate on the microstructure, microhardness and wear behavior of the Ni–SiC composites were investigated through high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers hardness testing, as well as wear testing. The results demonstrated that the composite deposited at 3 m/s, displayed a compact and exiguous structure, while the average sizes of Ni and SiC were 48.7 nm and 18.2 nm, respectively. A high amount of SiC nanoparticles with the superfine structures were inlayed within the Ni–SiC composite obtained at 3 m/s. The kinetic energy of the electroplating liquid increased as the jet rate increased. The average sizes of Ni and SiC in the Ni–SiC composite prefabricated at 3 m/s, were 50.2 nm and 19.5 nm, respectively. The Ni–SiC composite produced at 3 m/s had the highest average microhardness of 886.65 HV. The Ni–SiC composite synthesized at 3 m/s exhibited the lowest friction coefficients among all Ni–SiC composites. The average friction coefficient was approximately 0.48. The worn morphology of the composite obtained at 3 m/s had a certain amount of slight scratches, while only certain low-sized pits appeared on the surfaces of the composites.