Roughness Optimization of Electroless Ni-B Coatings Using Taguchi Method

In this paper, the authors present an experimental study of roughness characteristics of electroless Ni-B coatings and optimization of the coating process parameters based on L27 Taguchi orthogonal design. Three coating process parameters are considered viz. bath temperature, reducing agent concentration, and nickel source concentration. It is observed that concentration of reducing agent together with bath temperature play a vital role in controlling the roughness characteristics of the coatings. The analysis yields the optimum coating parameter combination for minimum roughness. A reduction of about 15% is observed in roughness at the optimal condition compared to the initial condition. The microstructure, composition, and the phase content of the coating are also studied with the help of scanning electron microscopes energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-1867-1.ch018