Cadmium plating has been used to protect steel by sacrificial galvanic action, particularly in conjunction with steel components in marine environments. Cadmium has been used because of its hardness, close dimensional tolerance, and its ability to restrict hydrogen permeation into or out of steels. However, cadmium is highly toxic to the environment and is severely detrimental to occupational safety, thereby necessitating the search for alternative corrosion control coating systems. Alternative plating/coatings to replace cadmium plating have been developed and evaluated for some period of time. In this paper, the mechanical properties of zinc-nickel plated 4130 steel panels are evaluated and compared to cadmium plated 4130 steel panels. The presence of hydrogen embrittlement on zinc-nickel plated 4340 steel test strips was compared to cadmium-plated 4340 steel test strips.
Keywords: cadmium plating, zinc nickel plating, corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, gravelometer testing