Prediction and parametric optimization of surface roughness of electroless Ni-Co-P coating using Box-Behnken design

Abstract

The current study focuses on the parametric optimization of electroless Ni-Co-P coating considering surface roughness as a response using Box-Behnken Design (BBD) of experiment. The two bath parameters namely the concentration of cobalt sulphate and sodium hypophosphite were varied along with the bath temperature to predict the variation in surface roughness. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) method has been applied to determine the interactions of the substantial factors which dominate the surface roughness of the coating. The process parameters for surface roughness of the coating were optimized by successfully utilizing the statistical model of Box-Behnken Design (BBD) of experiment. From the BBD model, the optimum condition for the deposition of the coating has been evaluated. In that specific condition, the surface roughness of the as-deposited coating is found to be 0.913μm. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) study have been utilized to characterize the electroless Ni-Co-P coating deposited in optimized condition.