A New Process of Electroplating on Titanium and Titanium Alloy for Aerospace

SUMMARYTitanium is a very active metal on which a natural, impervious oxide film is easily formed which must be removed before plating. This film forms rapidly, and it is not sufficient merely to remove it, it must be replaced by a more receptive film for satisfactory plating. A new simple and effective process of electroplating on titanium and its alloys is developed. The preparative procedures are as follows: cleaning, etching, activating. An etching solution containing nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide is used to etch both titanium and its alloys at room temperature before they are activated in different solutions respectively. In the activating solution, an 'active film' is formed on the surface of titanium or its alloys. The 'active film' provides good adhesion between the surface of titanium and any metal subsequently electroplated thereon.