ap Designation: B 841 - 94 Standard Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings for ‘This sandr is ied under the ned designation B. xia adoption of inthe case of evson, te year | ic Nickel Alloy Deposits’ umes immediatly folowing the designation indicates the year of eon. A number inprentac inate he Yar fat appro, ‘enc epon () indicts an etn change nce tc a von 8 apo 1. Scope 1.1 This specification covers the requirements for electro- deposited zine nickel alloy coatings on metals. 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard, 1.3 The following precautionary statement pertains to the fest. method portion only, Section 8, of this specificati This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsi. bility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 2. Referenced Documents 2.1 ASTM Standards: BB 117 Practice for Operating Salt Spray (Fog) Apparatus? B 183 Practice for Preparation of Low-Carbon Sted for B 242 Practice for Preparation of High-Carbon Steel for B 320 Practice for Preparation of fron Castings for ice paratior Electroplating? B 322 Practice for Cleaning Metals Prior to Electroplating? B 374 Terminology Relating to El is 'B 487 Test Method for Measurement of Metal and Oxide Coating Thickness by Microscopical Examination of a ross Section? B 499 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thick: zesses By the Magnetic Method: Nonmagnetic Coatings ‘on Magnetic Basis Metals? B 504 Test Method for Measurement of Thickness of Metallic Coatings by the Coulometric Method? B 507 Practice Design of Articles to Be Electroplated on Racks? B 568 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thick- ness by X-Ray Spectrometry? B 571 Test Method for Adhesion of Metallic Coatings? ‘B 602 Test Method of Attribute Sampling of Metallic and Inorganic Coatings? B 697 Guide for Selection of Sampling Plans for Inspec- tion of Electrodeposited Metallic and Inorganic Coat ings? 'B 762 Method of Variables Sampling of Metallic ‘and Inorganic Coatings? This specication is under the juadiction of ASTM Commitee BS on Meta and Inorganic Contngs andi he isc esjonbiy of oboe ‘OL on Saft heals Carat ction spproved Say 15, 1994. Published September 1996, Orly ubthd sB 841 38. Lac previous ction BBet -e8 9 dana Bok of ASTM Standards Vol 0208 314 BB 849 Specification for Pretreatments of Iron or Steel for Reducing Risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement? B 850 Specification for Post-Coating Treatments of Iron or Stee! for Reducing Risk of Hydrogen Embrittement? 3. Terminology 3.1 Definitions —Many items used in this specification are defined in Terminology B 374. 3.2 Description of Term Specific to This Standard: 3.2.1 significant surface—that portion of a coated article's surface where the coating is required to meet all the Requirements of the coating specification for that article. Significant surfaces are usually those that are essential to the serviceability or function of the article, or that can be a source of corrosion products or tamish films that interfere With the function or desirable appearance of the article. 3.2.1.1, Discussion—Significant surfaces are those surfaces that are identified by the purchaser by, for example, indi cating them on an engineering drawing of the product or ‘marking a sample item of the product. 4. Classification 4.1 There is one class of zinc nickel coating defined as follows: 4.1.1 Class 1—Deposits having a minimum of S and up to 12 mass % nickel, the balance being zinc. 4.2 There are five chromate conversion coating types and are defined as follows: 42.1 Type A—With colorless (blue bright) conversion coatings, 4.2.2 Type B—With yellow iridescent conversion coat- ings, 4.2.3 Type C—With bronze conversion coatings, 4.24 Type D—With black chromate conversion coating, and 4.2.5 Type E—Any of the above plus organic topcoat. [Nome 1—Wherea colored chromate conversion coatings are usually ‘meant to include various shades of yellow to bronze wien used with ‘nonalloyed zine, yellow and bronze chromate conversion costings are considered distinct different in appearance and performance when ‘applied to alloyed zine coatings and are formulated spectically to Droce the desired coating and are formulated specially to produce the desired coating, 4.3 There are three grades according to thickness and are defined as follows: 43.1 Grade I$ wm, » 43.2 Grade 2—8 um, and - 43.3 Grade 3—10 pm. 5. Ordering Information 5.1 In order to make the application of this specification el el hal eal ed ad ad eh a tad Vet Ned ek wel Wak cl hl set ea ie ease ; fl Mas tal te tad he ner Bi‘complete, the purchaser needs to supply the following {information to the seller in the purchase order and drawings '3.L1 Title, ASTM designation number, and date of issue if this standard specification, 5.1.2 Deposit by classification i Grade (see 4.1, 4.2, 4:3), ‘5.1.3 Composition and metallurgical condition of the substrate to be coated, ‘3.14 Location of significant surfaces (see 3.2.1), 5.1.5 Heat treatment for stress relief, whether it has been performed by purchaser or is required (see 6.7), 51.6 Heat treatment after electroplating, if required (see 64), 3.1.7 Whether or not location of rack marks is to be defined (see 6.3.1), 3.1.8 Any requirement for special test specimens (see 8.1.0), 5.1.9 Acceptance inspection procedure to be used (see Section 8), and ‘5.1.10 Any requirement for certification (see Section 10). SLL Any other items needing agreement. For the pur- poses of this specification, prior agreement on the nature of the finish is required as items plated in bulk may differ in appearance from those that are rack plated. including Glass, Type, and 6. Coating Requirements 6.1 Substrate—The metal to be plated shall be free of flaws and defects that will be detrimental to the zine alloy ‘coating. It shall be subjected to such cleaning, pickling, and electroplating procedures as are necessary to yield deposits, with the desired quality. [Nore 2Proper preparatory procedures and thorough cleaning are ‘sential o ensue saistactory adhesion and corrosion resistance perfor- mance ofthe coating. Materials wod for cleaning should not damage the ‘basis metal, for exaraple by causing defects such a pts, integranular attack or stress corrosion cracking It is recommended thatthe following Dractices for cleaning, where appropriate, be used: Practices B 183, 3242, 8320 and B 322. 6.1.1 The electroplating shall be applied after all basis ‘metal heat treatments have been completed. 6.2. Nature of Coating: 6.2.1 The coating shall consist of a zine nickel alloy that has a minimum of 5 and up to 12 mass percent nickel, the balance being zinc. 6.2.2 The coating shall be produced from an aqueous electroplating system, that may be either an alkaline or acid formulation as specified by the purchaser. 6.2.3 The coating shall have such supplementary conver- sion coatings as defined in 4.2 and specified in the purchase order. 6.3 Appearance: 6.3.1 The coating on all ready visible surfaces shall have an acceptable and characteristic appearance as agreed upon bby the purchaser and seller. The coating shall be uniform, insofar as the basis metal will permit. When the article is to be plated on a rack, contact marks may be unavoidable. Location of such marks(s) shall be indicated on the article or its drawing. 6.3.2 Defects and variations in appearance that arise from surface conditions of the substrate (scratches, pores, roll, ‘marks, inclusions, and the like) and that persist in the @b Beat coating despite the observance of good metal finishing practices shall not be cause for rejection. The coating shall be adherent, free from blisters, pits, or discontinuities, and shall be fee of cracks in the as plated state. Faking shall be cause for ejection in either the as plated state or after subsequent operations. ‘Nore 3—Thesecotigs are commonly wed in automotive aplica- tions where subsequent forming. bending, and cimping operations are Commonly performed. These operations Wil ese der om he ferformance ofthe coatings. Whe some crctng of coatings wil be avoidable, king of the coating alr thee subsequent Opraons Sal be case for roecion ‘Nore. 4—Coatings generaly perform beter in service when the substrate over which they are applied is smoath and fe of ora meal inclusions pores, and other defect. The specications covering the Unfinished product should provide limits for thoe deft. A metal Finisher cam ofen remove defects trough special teatment, such aS frinding, polishing, abrasive blasting, chemical ces, and eletr- Polishing However, these are not normal in the tatment steps Preceding the application othe coating. Wea they ae deed hey are the subject of apecial agreement between the purchaser and the se. 64 Thickness: 6.4.1 The thickness of the coating everywhere on the significant surfaces as defined in 32.1 and shall conform to the requirements of the specified grade as defined in 4.3. Nore $—The thicknes of electrodeposited coatings vais trom point to point onthe sures of a progut (ee Practice B07). The Thickness len interior corer and i holes Such surfaces are often txempt fom thik requirement Ifthe ul tices i required in ‘how ectony, the electopater wl hav to we pei echaigus that srl probably rae the costo the proces. Nove €—The coating reusement ofthis specification is a min- imum. Variation inthe thickness fom point to point onan article and {fom arte fo arte in a production leis nerent in cecvopating ‘Therefore, ial of the aries in a prodocn lot ae to meot the thicknes requirement, the average coating thickness forthe production lotsa whole wil be reatr than the specified minimum. 65 Adhesion—The coating shall withstand normal han- dling and storage conditions without chipping, flaking, or other coating damage and shall conform to the minimum requirements set forth in Section 8 66 Corrosion Resistance—The coatings shall show no zinc alloy corrosion or base metal corrosion after the indicated number of minimum hours of continuous neutral salt spray testing specified in Table 1 and in accordance with 81 6.1 Stress Relief Prior to Electroplating 6.7.1 Pars that are made from steels with ultimate tensile strengths of 1000 MPa (hardness of 31 HIRC) or greater that hhave been machined, ground, cold formed, ot cold straight- ened subsequent to heat treatinent shall be heat treated prior to processing in accordance with Specification B 849. The tensile strength shall be supplied by the purchaser 68 Hydrogen Embrialement Relief After Plating 6.8.1 Parts that are made from steel with ultimate tensile strengths equal to or greater than 1000 MPa (hardness of 31 HIRC) and surface hardened parts shall require heat treat- ment in accordance with Specification B 850. 7. Sampling 7.1 The sampling plan used for the inspection of a quantity of the coated articles shall be as agreed upon between the purchaser and the seller.) Beat ssaaeGsdeiaderusesbqeys BaUeeeuaeenenan sae apy ga! Ore 1080 2 ce i wr as ct cd aera anes 7.2 An inspection lot shall be defined as a collection of Coated articles that are of the same kind, that have been ‘xluced to the same specification that have been coated by 8 single supplier at one time or at approximately the same time under essentially identical conditions, and that are submitted for acceptance or rejection as a group. 7.3 If special test specimens are used to represent the Coated articles in a test, the number used shall be that required in 8.1.1. 8. Test Methods 8.1 Special Test Specimens: 56 8.1.1 The permission or the requirement to use special test specimens, the number to be used, the material from which they are to be made, and their shape and size shall be stated by the purchaser ‘metallurgical condition, and have the same surface condition as the articles they represent, and be placed in the production lot of and be processed along with the articles they represent, 8.1.3 Special test specimens used to represent articles in a ‘coating thickness test may be made of a material that is suitable for the test method even if the represented article is not of the same material. For example, a low-carbon stee] Specimen may represent a brass article when the magnetic thickness testis used (see Test Method B 499). The thickness specimen need not be carried through the complete process With the represented article. If not, introduce it into the Drovess at the point where the coating is applied and catry it through all steps that have a bearing on the coating thickness, {In rack plating, rack the specimen in the same way with the same distance from and orientation with the anodes and other items in the process as the article it represents, 8.2 Composition of Coating—Verify the composition of the coating by atomic absorption photometry (AA), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), or directly coupled plasma. (er), 8.3 Appearance—Examine the coating at up to 10x ‘magnification for conformance to the requirements of ap- earance. 8.4 Thickness—Measure the coating thickness at loca- tions on the significant surface designated by the purchaser, and make the measurement with an accuracy of 10% of better by use of one of the following test methods: Test Methods B 487, B 499, B 504, B 568. 8.5 Adhesion—Test the adhesion of the coating in accor- dance with Test Method B 571. The choice of test method shall be one of those appropriate for zine coatings. 8.6 Corrosion Resistance—Determine the corrosion resis. tance of the coating in accordance with Practice B 117, The length of time to be applicable for the coating shall be in accordance with the requirements stated in Table 1. The Coated parts shall be aged at room temperature for 24 h after ‘the supplementary treatment before being subjected to salt spray. “§ : a a x a = = a a = a a = ~ = = = = a