Electrodeposited Ni/TiN-SiC Nanocomposites on the Dumbbell: Reducing Sport Injuries

Sports are becoming an important part of everyday life. In this study, an excellent Ni-SiC nanocomposite was prepared on the dumbbell surface using the pulse electrodeposition (PE) method to improve the durability of sports equipment and prevent sports injuries. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), abrasion testing, triboindentry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to evaluate the impact of plating conditions upon the microhardness, microstructure, morphology, and wear behavior of the fabricated coatings. The obtained results showed that several SiC and TiN nanoparticles were incorporated into Ni/TiN-SiC nanocomposites obtained at 4 A/dm². SiC and TiN nanoparticles had mean diameters of 37.5 and 45.6 nm, respectively. The Ni/TiN-SiC nanocomposite produced at 4 A/dm² showed an excellent mean microhardness value of 848.5 HV, compared to the nanocomposites produced at 2 and 6 A/dm². The rate of wear for Ni/TiN-SiC nanocomposite produced at 4 A/dm² was 13.8 mg/min, demonstrating outstanding wearing resistance. Hence, it has been suggested that the Ni/TiN-SiC nanocomposite can effectively reduce sports injuries.