Theoretical study of hardness variation with pulse parameters in composite coatings electrodeposited by pulsed currents

Theoretical aspects of the electrodeposition of composite coatings prepared by pulsed currents and also the variation of coatings hardness with the pulse parameters have been presented in this paper. The effect of the grain size, polarisation, pulse-plating parameters and incorporation of ceramic particles on the hardness or flow stress are also reported. The theoretical relationship obtained showed that with increasing polarisation and particle incorporation, the hardness of the coatings was increased. In addition, by decreasing the grain size, frequency and duty cycle the hardness was increased.