Investigation on Wear and Corrosion Behavior of Cu, Zn, and Ni Coated Corten Steel

Corten steel is a low-carbon alloy steel. It is widely used in architecture, the transport sector, and industrial applications, where the steel is exposed to harsh environments. It is very much sought after due to its auto protection from corrosive environments through the formation of patina (rust). The specialty of patina formed on the corten steel is that it can self-heal itself and stop the spreading of corrosion. Generally, steels are given protective coatings to enhance resistance to corrosion, wear, abrasion, etc. One of the popular protective coating techniques is electroplating. In this study, the effect of electroplating of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) on the wear and corrosion behavior of Corten ASTM A242 grade steel is investigated. It was observed that the Cu coating yielded poor corrosion and wear protection performance. The Zn coating exhibited a moderate improvement. The Ni electroplating produced excellent results and, the wear and corrosion resistance was improved in the corten steel. Thus, when compared with Cu, Zn, and Ni coatings, the Ni-coated corten steel is an ideal candidate in applications where there is a need for good resistance to wear, abrasion, and corrosion.