Preparation and hardness of pulse electrodeposited Ni–W–diamond composite coatings.

Ni–W–diamond composite coatings were prepared by pulse current electrodeposition on carbon steel. It is found that the pulse current can affect the rate of diamond incorporation and the content of tungsten alloyed in the matrix. The effect of the duty cycle and frequency on the hardness of the coatings is associated with the amount of diamond particles and the tungsten contents in the Ni–W matrix. Moreover, the diamond content is the primary mechanism in improving the hardness of composite coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]