ASTM B634-88(2009)
(Specification)Standard Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings of Rhodium for Engineering Use
Standard Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings of Rhodium for Engineering Use
ABSTRACT
This specification covers the requirements for electrodeposited rhodium coatings for engineering applications, usually employed for their corrosion resistance, stable electrical contact resistance, wear resistance, reflectivity, and heat resistance. Coating shall be classified based on their thickness. Specimens shall undergo preparatory preplating procedures such as surface cleaning and stress relief treatment, as well as post-plating embrittlement relief process. Coatings shall be sampled, tested, and conform accordingly to specified requirements as to purity, appearance, adhesion, hydrogen embrittlement, reflectivity, and thickness (to be measured either nondestructively by beta backscatter method or X-ray fluorescence, or destructively by microscopical cross sectioning method).
SCOPE
1.1 This specification covers requirements for electrodeposited coatings of rhodium used for engineering purposes.
1.2 Coatings of rhodium covered by this specification are usually employed for their corrosion resistance, stable electrical contact resistance, wear resistance, reflectivity, and heat resistance.
1.3 Appendix X1 covers some typical applications for electrodeposited rhodium.
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
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Designation:B634 −88(Reapproved 2009)
Standard Specification for
Electrodeposited Coatings of Rhodium for Engineering Use
This standard is issued under the fixed designation B634; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope B322 Guide for Cleaning Metals Prior to Electroplating
B343 Practice for Preparation of Nickel for Electroplating
1.1 This specification covers requirements for electrodepos-
with Nickel
ited coatings of rhodium used for engineering purposes.
B456 Specification for Electrodeposited Coatings of Copper
1.2 Coatings of rhodium covered by this specification are
Plus Nickel Plus Chromium and Nickel Plus Chromium
usually employed for their corrosion resistance, stable electri-
B481 Practice for Preparation of Titanium and Titanium
cal contact resistance, wear resistance, reflectivity, and heat
Alloys for Electroplating
resistance.
B482 Practice for Preparation of Tungsten and Tungsten
1.3 Appendix X1 covers some typical applications for Alloys for Electroplating
B487 Test Method for Measurement of Metal and Oxide
electrodeposited rhodium.
Coating Thickness by Microscopical Examination of
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as
Cross Section
standard. No other units of measurement are included in this
B507 Practice for Design of Articles to Be Electroplated on
standard.
Racks
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the
B567 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thickness
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
by the Beta Backscatter Method
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
B568 Test Method for Measurement of Coating Thickness
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
by X-Ray Spectrometry
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
B571 Practice for Qualitative Adhesion Testing of Metallic
Coatings
2. Referenced Documents
B602 Test Method for Attribute Sampling of Metallic and
2.1 The following documents form a part of this document
Inorganic Coatings
to the extent referenced herein.
B697 Guide for Selection of Sampling Plans for Inspection
of Electrodeposited Metallic and Inorganic Coatings
2.2 ASTM Standards:
B762 Test Method of Variables Sampling of Metallic and
B183 Practice for Preparation of Low-Carbon Steel for
Inorganic Coatings
Electroplating
E8 Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials
B242 Guide for Preparation of High-Carbon Steel for Elec-
2.3 Military Standards:
troplating
MIL-R-46085 Rhodium Plating, Electrodeposited
B252 Guide for Preparation of Zinc Alloy Die Castings for
QQ-N-290 Nickel Plating, Electrodeposited
Electroplating and Conversion Coatings
B254 Practice for Preparation of and Electroplating on
3. Classification
Stainless Steel
B281 Practice for Preparation of Copper and Copper-Base
3.1 Electrodeposited coatings of rhodium on the basis of
Alloys for Electroplating and Conversion Coatings
thickness are classified as follows:
Class Minimum Thickness, µm
0.05 0.05
1 0.25 0.25
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee B08 on
0.5 0.5
Metallic and Inorganic Coatings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
B08.04 on Precious Metal Coatings.
2.5 2.5
Current edition approved Sept. 1, 2009. Published November 2009. Originally
6.2 6.25
ε1
approved in 1978. Last previous edition approved in 2004 as B634 – 88 (2004) .
DOI: 10.1520/B0634-88R09.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on AvailablefromStandardizationDocumentsOrderDesk,Bldg.4SectionD,700
the ASTM website. Robbins Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, Attn: NPODS.
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B634−88 (2009)
4. Ordering Information 6.3 Significant Surfaces—Significant surfaces are defined as
thosenormallyvisible(directlyorbyreflection)orareessential
4.1 To make application of this standard complete, the
to the serviceability or function of the article or which can be
purchaser needs to supply the following information to the
the source of corrosion products or tarnish films that interfere
seller in the purchase order or other governing document:
with the function or desirable appearance of the article. When
4.1.1 Name, designation, and year of issue of this standard,
necessary, the significant surfaces shall be indicated on the
4.1.2 Class including a maximum thickness, if appropriate
drawings of the parts, or by the provision of suitably marked
(3.1),
samples.
4.1.3 Nature of substrate, for example, high strength steel,
NOTE 2—Variation in the coating thickness from point-to-point on a
need for stress relief, undercoats, embrittlement relief (5.1, 5.2,
coated article is an inherent characteristic of electroplating processes.
5.3),
Therefore, the coating thickness will have to exceed the specified value at
4.1.4 Significant surfaces (6.2),
some points on the significant surfaces to ensure that the thickness equals
4.1.5 Appearance (6.3),
or exceeds the specified value at all points.Therefore, the average coating
4.1.6 Requirements and methods of testing for one or more thicknessonanarticlewillusuallybegreaterthanthespecifiedvalue;how
muchgreaterislargelydeterminedbytheshapeofthearticle(seePractice
of the following requirements: need for and type of test
B507) and the characteristics of the electroplating process. Additionally,
specimens (8.1); thickness (8.2); adhesion (8.3); absence of
the average coating thickness on an article will vary from article to article
embrittlement (8.4); reflectivity (8.5); and undercoats (S1.4),
within a production lot. If all of the articles in a production lot are to meet
and
the thickness requirement, the average coating thickness of the production
lot as a whole will be greater than the average necessary to ensure that a
4.1.7 Sampling plans (Section 7) and quality assurance
single article meets the requirements.
(S1.2).
6.4 Appearance:
6.4.1 Electroplated coatings shall completely cover all sur-
5. Process Requirements
faces as specified in the manufacturing document and shall
5.1 Preparatory Procedures—The basis metal shall be sub-
have a uniform appearance to the extent that the nature of the
jected to such cleaning procedures as are necessary to ensure a
basis metal and good commercial practices permit.
surface satisfactory for subsequent electroplating. Materials
6.4.2 Defects in the surface of the basis metal such as
used for cleaning shall have no damaging effects on the basis
scratches, pits, nonconducting inclusions, and roll and die
metal resulting in pits, intergranular attack, stress corrosion
marks, may adversely affect the appearance and performance
cracking, or hydrogen embrittlement.
of the applied coatings. Such defects that persist in the finish
NOTE1—Forbasismetalpreparations,thefollowingappropriateASTM
despite the observance of good metal finishing practices shall
standards are recommended: Practices B183, B242, B252, B254, B281,
not be cause for rejection.
B322, B343, B481, and B482.
NOTE 3—Applied finishes generally perform better in service when the
5.2 Preplating Operations:
substrate over which they are applied is smooth and free from torn metal,
5.2.1 Electroplating shall be applied after all basis metal
inclusions, pores, and other defects. It is recommended that the specifi-
heat treatments and mechanical operations such as forming, cations covering the unfinished product provide limits for those defects.A
metal finisher often can remove defects through special treatments such as
machining, and joining of the article have been completed.
grinding, polishing, abrasive blasting, chemical treatments, and electrop-
5.2.2 Stress Relief Treatment—All steel parts having an
olishing. However, these are not normal in the treatment steps preceding
ultimatetensilestrengthof1050MPa(approximately35HRC)
the application of the finish.When they are desired, they are the subject of
and above and that have been machined, ground, cold formed, special agreement between the purchaser and the supplier.
or cold straightened shall have heat treatment to 190 6 15°C
6.5 Adhesion—The rhodium coatings shall be free of blis-
for a minimum of 5 h before cleaning and electroplating.
ters and peeled areas when tested in accordance with 8.3.
5.3 Post-Plating Procedures:
7. Sampling
5.3.1 Embrittlement Relief—Steel parts having an ultimate
7.1 A random sample of the size required by Test Methods
tensile strength of 1200 MPa (approximately 38 HRC) or
greater shall be baked at 190 6 15°C for a minimum of 8 h B602 or B762 shall be selected from the inspection lot (see
7.2). The articles in the lot shall be inspected for conformance
within 4 h after electroplating to provide hydrogen embrittle-
ment relief. Steel parts having an ultimate tensile strength to the requirements of this specification and the lot shall be
classifiedasconformingornonconformingtoeachrequirement
greaterthan1300MPa(approximately40HRC)shallbebaked
at 190 6 15°C for a minimum of 23 h within 4 h after according to the criteria of the sampling plans in Test Method
B602.
electroplating.
NOTE 4—Test Method B602 contains four sampling plans, three for use
6. Coating Requirements
withnondestructivetestmethods.Thefourthistobeusedwithdestructive
test methods. The three methods for nondestructive tests differ in the
6.1 Nature of Coating—Thecoatingshallbeessentiallypure
quality level they require of the product. Test Method B602 requires use
rhodium produced by electrodeposition from aqueous electro-
of the plan with the intermediate quality level unless the purchaser
lytes.
specifies otherwise. It is recommended that the purchaser c
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