DETERMINING PROPERTIES OF NICKEL BASED COMPOSITE THAT REINFORCED BY ELECTROLESS NICEL PLATED BORON NITRIDE AND ASTALOY-CrM POWDERS

Industrial development brings with it the need for new materials every day. When it comes to obtaining more than one feature together, composite materials are at the forefront of the material groups. In composite materials, the main matrix and reinforcement element are defined and known according to the material group and the morphology of the reinforcement elements. Electroless nickel plating process is the chemical coating of nickel and its alloys on metal surfaces without using electric current by the immersion method. This process is also preferred in many areas in industrial applications for improving surface wear resistance of metallic and ceramic powders. These metallic and ceramic powders are used for reinforcement to production of nickel base composite in this study. For this purpose Ni coated (1.66% BN ceramic + 31.65% Astaloy-CrM metallic) + %66,67Ni nickel powders were shaped circularly in uniaxial cold press. These samples are sintered in conventional furnace with argon atmosphere at the temperature of 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1400 °C for two hours. The mechanical properties of Ni based electroless Ni plated ceramic and metallic powders reinforced composite samples were determined. In addition, the metallographic evaluation was carried out by XRD analysis and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) on the samples. Consequently, the highest density and hardness is obtained composite made from (1,66%BN + 31,65%Astaloy-CrM) + 66,67%Ni powders, It was sintered at temperature of 1400°C for two hour in tube furnace