ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF NANO-STRUCTURED NI-CO/SIC COMPOSITE PREPARED BY ELECTRODEPOSITION
Ni - Co / SiC nano-composites were prepared by electrodeposition in modified watts bath. The average size of SiC particles was 50 nm. In this study the effect of nano-particle incorporation, Co 2+ and saccharin concentration in electroplating bath on morphology and mechanical properties of Ni - Co / SiC nano-composites were investigated. The electrodeposits were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Vickers micro-hardness and tensile tests. The results indicate that an increase in Co 2+ and saccharin concentration in electrolyte lead to a decrease in size of SiC agglomerates and grain size refining of matrix and improvement in mechanical properties. The hardness, tensile and yield strengths of the nano-composite material with nano-structure matrixes were higher than those for microcrystalline ones.