1986 Volume 72 Issue 8 Pages 946-953
An engineering interest to develop an electroplating cell which assures uniform alloy-plated coatings at high current density and high-speed operation has stimulated this investigation. Many beaker scale studies have been reported about the major influence of electrolyte flow on the electrodeposition of zincbased alloy-plating. Much less is, however, known about the availability of process data obtained from laboratory experiments for scale-up and process design of commercial-size electroplating line. Experiments have been conducted utilizing a high-speed pilot-line, coupled with flow velocity measurements in a hydrodynamic model with a moving endless strip. A process analysis method for a continuous electroplating line through the use of empirical correlations of appropriate dimensionless numbers is advanced. The characteristic quantities for this system are the hydrodynamic equivalent diameter, and in addition the mean relative flow velocity in a coordinate system with the movement of a strip. It is shown that alloy-plating behaviour at a continuous plating cell with fluid injection can be approximated based on relaxation of similitude rule.
