Determination of Internal Stress of Ni Electroplated Samples in Sulphamate Solutions

Internal stress is a common problem affecting the functionality of the electroplated materials. The parameters of electrodeposition and additive materials that are soluble in the bath change the characteristics of the plating and affect the internal stress of the coatings. The influence of the electrodeposition parameters on the internal stress of Ni deposits from the nickel sulphamate baths were studied by the help of fractional factorial design. The parameters included temperature, pH, current density and bath composition. Increasing temperature and deposit thickness, and decreasing boric acid and chloride ions resulted in decreasing the internal stress within the parameter ranges covered in this study.