Investigation of Nickel-Cadmium-Diffused and Cadmium Plating Replacement Coatings

Environmental and health concerns have created the need for a replacement coating for cadmium and nickel-cadmium-diffused plating. Ion vapor deposition and other alternatives have been proposed, but do not provide all of the coating characteristics and properties obtained from nickel and nickel-cadmium-diffused coatings. Our company has instituted a search for replacement coatings. This paper documents the testing and investigation undertaken in the replacement coating program. Corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and LHE (low hydrogen embrittlement) were the most important criteria for evaluating candidate coatings.