Bonding Composite TRAC Booms for NASA Missions

An atmospheric plasma technique is being adapted to activate high strength steel surfaces for electroplating hard chrome and engineering nickel in landing gear applications. This atmospheric plasma technique allows the conventional abrasive blast and anodic etch techniques for surface activation to be removed from the electroplating processes to reduce the amount of material removed from the part, achieve “perfectâ€Â adhesion according to ASTM B571 tests, minimize waste, and lower risks to both personnel and landing gear parts. The improvements in coating performance and electroplating process attributes will be evaluated in detail with respect to hard chrome plating on 4000 series steel alloys. The process control and automation of the plasma surface activation technique will be advanced for increased throughput with minimal effort requirements by the operator.