Preperation and Corrosion Resistance of a Coating on the Surface of Aluminum Alloy for Aircraft Structure

Aiming at the shortcomings of aluminum alloys for aircraft structures that were prone to corrosion during use, three types of cladding such as Ni-P alloy cladding, Ni-WP alloy cladding, and Ni-P-MWCNTs composite cladding were prepared on the surface of 2024 aviation aluminum alloy by chemical plating process. The effects of MWCNTs and Na₂WO₄ additions on the deposition rate of the claddings were studied, and surface micromorphology, adhesion, hydrophobic properties, corrosion resistance of the three coatings were observed and analyzed. The results show that the deposition rate of Ni-P-MWCNTs composite cladding increased first and then decreased with the increase of the amount of WMCNTs. When 0.3 g/L WMCNTs was added, the deposition rate reached a maximum of 10.03 mg/(cm²·h). The deposition rate of Ni-W-P alloy cladding gradually increased with the increase of the amount of Na₂WO₄ and gradually stabilized. When 18 g/L Na₂WO₄ was added, the deposition rate reached 15.21 mg/(cm²·h). The comprehensive performance of several samples in order from strong to weak was as follow:Ni-W-P coating > Ni-P-MWCNTs coating > Ni-P coating > matrix sample.