AEROSPACE AMS 2404E

MATERIAL Issued SEP 1957

SPECIFICATION Revised JUN 2003

Superseding AMS 2404D

Plating, Electroless Nickel

1. SCOPE:

1.1 Purpose:

This specification covers the engineering requirements for electroless nickel deposited on various
materials.

1.2 Application:

This deposit has been used typically to provide a uniform build-up on intricate shapes, to improve
wear and/or corrosion resistance, or to improve solderability on or for selected materials, but usage
is not limited to such applications. The deposit has been used in service up to 1000 °F (540 °C)
although wear and/or corrosion resistance may degrade as service temperature increases.

1.3 Classification:

Plating covered by this specification is classified as follows:

Class 1: Except for hydrogen embrittlement relief, no post plating thermal treatment.

Class 2: Thermal treatment at 450 °F (232 °C) or above to harden the deposit.

Class 3: Thermal treatment at 375 °F (191 °C) to improve adhesion for nonheat-treatable aluminum
alloys and beryllium alloys.

Class 4: Thermal treatment at 250 °F (121 °C) to improve adhesion for heat-treatable aluminum
alloys.

1.3.1 Unless a specific class is specified, Class 1 shall be supplied.

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Copyright © 2003 SAE International
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recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SAE.

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1.4 Safety - Hazardous Materials:

While the materials, methods, applications, and processes described or referenced in this
specification may involve the use of hazardous materials, this specification does not address the
hazards which may be involved in such use. It is the responsibility of the user to ensure familiarity
with the safe and proper use of any hazardous materials and to take necessary precautionary
measures to ensure the health and safety of all personnel involved.

2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS:

The issue of the following documents in effect on the date of the purchase order forms a part of this
specification to the extent specified herein. The supplier may work to a subsequent revision of a
document unless a specific document issue is specified. When the referenced document has been
cancelled and no superseding document has been specified, the last published issue of that document
shall apply.

2.1 SAE Publications:

Available from SAE, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 or www.sae.org.

AMS 2759/9 Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief (Baking) of Steel Parts

AMS-C-26074 Coatings, Electroless Nickel Requirements for

2.2 ASTM Publications:

Available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959 or
www.astm.org.

ASTM B 117 Operating Salt Spray (Fog) Testing Apparatus

ASTM B 487 Measurement of Metal and Oxide Coating Thicknesses by Microscopical
Examination of a Cross Section
ASTM B 499 Measurement of Coating Thicknesses by the Magnetic Method: Nonmagnetic
Coatings on Magnetic Basis Metals
ASTM B 567 Method for Measurement of Coating Thickness by the Beta Backscatter Method
ASTM B 568 Measurement of Coating Thickness by X-Ray Spectrometry
ASTM B 571 Adhesion of Metallic Coatings
ASTM B 636 Measurement of Internal Stress of Plated Metallic Coatings with the Spiral
Contractometer
ASTM B 748 Measurement of Thickness of Metallic Coatings by Measurement of Cross
Section with a Scanning Electron Microscope
ASTM B 764 Simultaneous Thickness and Electrochemical Potential Determination of
Individual Layers on Multilayer Nickel Deposit (STEP Test)
ASTM E 384 Microhardness of Materials
ASTM F 519 Mechanical Hydrogen Embrittlement Testing of Plating Processes and Aircraft
Maintenance Chemicals

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3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

3.1 Preparation:

3.1.1 Steel parts having a hardness of 40 HRC or higher and which have been ground after heat
treatment shall be cleaned to remove surface contamination and suitably stress relieved before
preparation for plating. Temperatures to which parts are heated shall be such that maximum stress
relief is obtained without reducing hardness of parts below drawing limits, but, unless otherwise
specified, not less than 275 °F (135 °C) for not less than five hours for parts having hardness of
55 HRC or higher or not less than 375 °F (191 °C) for not less than four hours for other parts.

3.1.2 Parts shall have clean surfaces, free of water break, prior to immersion in the plating solution.

3.1.2.1 Care must be used if parts are to be cleaned with acids which may pit the surface or induce
hydrogen embrittlement in ferrous alloys. This includes, but is not limited to, hydrochloric and
sulfuric acids. In general, a momentary dip in such acids for surface activation or neutralization
after alkaline cleaning is permissible, but immersion for an extended time is prohibited.

3.2 Procedure:

3.2.1 Plating shall be performed by chemical deposition of a nickel-phosphorus coating onto a properly
prepared surface.

3.2.2 Plated parts shall be removed from the plating solution, thoroughly rinsed, and dried.

3.2.3 Double plating is prohibited. Spotting in is not permitted.

3.3 Post Treatment:

3.3.1 Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief: Treatment of steel parts shall be in accordance with AMS 2759/9.

3.3.2 Heat Treatment for Hardness or Adhesion Enhancement: When Class 2, 3, or 4 is specified, parts,
after plating, rinsing, and drying, shall be thermally treated.

3.3.2.1 When Class 2 is specified, parts shall be heated to a selected temperature within the range of
450 to 800 °F (232 to 427 °C) and held for sufficient time to increase hardness of the deposit
(See 3.4.4 and 8.6). Hydrogen embrittlement relief (3.3.1) may be omitted if Class 2 hardening is
accomplished within four hours after plating.

3.3.2.2 When Class 3 is specified, parts shall be heated to 375 °F ± 15 (191 °C ± 8) for 1 to 1.5 hours.

3.3.2.3 When Class 4 is specified, parts shall be heated to 250 °F ± 10 (121 °C ± 6) for 1 to 1.5 hours.

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3.4 Properties:

Plating shall conform to the following requirements:

3.4.1 Thickness: Shall be as specified on the drawing, determined in accordance with ASTM B 487,
ASTM B 499, ASTM B 567, ASTM B 568, ASTM B 748, ASTM B 764, or by other method
acceptable to purchaser.

3.4.2 Adhesion shall meet the requirements of ASTM B 571 bend test or, when acceptable to purchaser,
3.4.2.1.

3.4.2.1 Plating shall comply with all criteria of 3.5 after being heated in air, preferably in a circulating-air
furnace, at 700 °F ± 15 (371 °C ± 8) for 23 hours ± 1 followed by heating at 1000 °F ± 15
(538 °C ± 8) for 60 minutes ± 5.

3.4.3 Corrosion Resistance of Plated Carbon and Alloy Steels: Carbon and low-alloy steel parts or test
panels (See 4.3.1.3) having minimum plating thickness of 0.001 inch (25 µm), shall, after plating
and embrittlement-relieving, show no visual evidence of corrosion of the basis metal after being
subjected for not less than 48 hours to continuous salt spray corrosion test conducted in
accordance with ASTM B 117 (See 4.3.1.2).

3.4.3.1 When AMS-C-26074 Grade A is specified, aluminum alloy parts or test panels having minimum
plating thickness of 0.0010 inch (25 µm), shall, after plating and thermal treatment, show no
visual evidence of corrosion of the basis metal after being subjected for not less than 100 hours
to continuous salt spray corrosion test conducted in accordance with ASTM B 117.

3.4.3.2 When AMS-C-26074 Grade C is specified, carbon and low alloy steel parts or test panels having
minimum plating thickness of 0.0015 inch (37 µm), shall, after plating and embrittlement-
relieving, show no visual evidence of corrosion of the basis metal after being subjected for
not less than 100 hours to continuous salt spray corrosion test conducted in accordance with
ASTM B 117.

3.4.4 Hardness: Class 2 plating shall be not lower than 800 HK100, or equivalent, determined in
accordance with ASTM E 384.

3.4.5 Hydrogen Embrittlement: The plating process shall not cause hydrogen embrittlement in steel
parts, after baking, determined in accordance with 4.3.1.4.

3.4.6 Internal Stress: The cognizant engineering organization may specify a compressive stress value
for Class 1 plating up to 10 ksi (69 MPa), determined in accordance with ASTM B 636.

3.4.7 Composition: The cognizant engineering organization may specify a phosphorus content range of
the deposit. When specified, the composition of the deposit shall be determined by a method
acceptable to purchaser.

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3.5 Quality:

Plating, as received by purchaser, shall be smooth, continuous, and uniform in appearance and shall
be free from frosty areas, pinholes, blisters, and other imperfections detrimental to usage of the
plate. Slight staining or discoloration is permissible. Class 2 plating may discolor from thermal
treatment.

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS:

4.1 Responsibility for Inspection:

The processor shall supply all samples for processor’s test and shall be responsible for the
performance of all required tests. Parts, if required for tests, shall be supplied by purchaser.
Purchaser reserves the right to sample and to perform any confirmatory testing deemed necessary
to ensure that plating conforms to specified requirements.

4.2 Classification of Tests:

4.2.1 Acceptance Tests: Thickness (3.4.1), adhesion (3.4.2), and quality (3.5) are acceptance tests and
shall be performed on each lot.

4.2.2 Periodic Tests: Corrosion resistance (3.4.3), internal stress, if specified (3.4.6), composition, if
specified (3.4.7), and cleaning and plating solution analyses (See 8.4) to ensure that the deposited
metal will conform to this specification are periodic tests and shall be performed at a frequency
selected by the processor unless frequency of testing is specified by purchaser. Testing for
hydrogen embrittlement (3.4.5) shall be performed in accordance with ASTM F 519 at least once in
each month that parts 36 HRC and over are plated. Testing for hardness (3.4.4) shall be performed
at least once in each month.

4.2.3 Preproduction Tests: All technical requirements are preproduction tests and shall be performed
prior to or on the initial shipment of plated parts to a purchaser, when a change in material and/or
processing requires approval by the cognizant engineering organization (See 4.4.2), and when
purchaser deems confirmatory testing to be required.

4.3 Sampling for Tests:

4.3.1 Sample Configuration:

4.3.1.1 Nondestructive testing shall be performed wherever practical. Except as noted below, actual
parts shall be selected as samples for tests.

4.3.1.2 Separate test specimens, made of the same generic class of alloy as the parts, distributed within
the lot, cleaned, plated, and post treated with the parts shall be used when plated parts are of
such configuration or size as to be not readily adaptable to specified tests, when nondestructive
testing is not practical on actual parts, or it is not economically acceptable to perform destructive
tests on actual parts.

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4.3.1.3 Corrosion Test: Test panels shall be low carbon steel approximately 0.032 x 4 x 6 inches
(0.81 x 102 x 152 mm) or bars approximately 0.5 inch (13 mm) in diameter and four inches
(102 mm) long having a surface roughness not to exceed 40 microinches (1 µm) RHR. Aluminum
alloy test panels, made of the same generic class of alloy as the parts being plated, shall be used
in any month when aluminum alloy parts are plated.

4.3.1.4 Hydrogen Embrittlement Test: Test shall be in accordance with the requirements of ASTM F 519
Type 1A using round notched specimens, unless a different specimen is specified by the
purchaser, stressed in tension under constant load. For test purposes, the plating thickness shall
be 0.001 to 0.0012 inch (25 to 30 µm) measured on the smooth section of the specimen, but with
visual plating at the root of the notch.

4.3.1.5 Internal Stress Test: When an internal stress requirement is imposed by the cognizant
engineering organization, test specimens shall be plated to a thickness not less than
0.0006 inch (15 µm) and shall conform to ASTM B 636.

4.3.2 Sample Quantity:

4.3.2.1 Acceptance tests shall be in accordance with Table 1; a lot shall be all parts of the same part
number, plated to the same range of plate thickness in the same solutions, in each eight hours of
continuous production, and presented for processor’s inspection at one time.

TABLE 1 - Sampling for Acceptance Tests

Number of
Parts in Thickness and
Lot Quality Adhesion
Up to 7 All 3
8 to 15 7 4
16 to 40 10 4
41 to 110 15 5
111 to 300 25 6
301 to 500 35 7
501 to 700 50 8
701 to 1200 75 10
Over 1200 125 15

4.3.2.2 For Periodic Tests: Sample quantity and frequency of testing shall be at the discretion of the
processor unless otherwise specified by the purchaser or herein. Sample quantity for hydrogen
embrittlement and hardness tests shall be four minimum.

4.4 Approval:

4.4.1 The process and control factors, a preproduction part, or both, whichever is specified, shall be
approved by the cognizant engineering organization before production parts are supplied.

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4.4.2 The processor shall make no significant change to materials, processes, or controls from those on
which the approval was based, unless the change is approved by the cognizant engineering
organization. A significant change is one which in the judgment of the cognizant engineering
organization could affect the properties or performance of the parts.

4.4.3 Control factors shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Surface preparation, including strike if used

Plating bath composition and composition control limits
Plating bath temperature limits and controls
Thermal post treatment times and temperatures
Method for testing plate thickness
Method for testing plate adhesion
Periodic test plan

4.5 Reports:

The processor of plated parts shall furnish with each shipment a report stating that the parts have
been processed and tested in accordance with specified requirements and that they conform to the
acceptance test requirements. This report shall include the purchase order number, lot number, AMS
2404E, part number, and quantity.

4.6 Resampling and Retesting:

4.6.1 If the result of any acceptance test fails to meet specified test requirements, the parts in that lot
may be stripped by a method acceptable to purchaser that does not roughen, pit, adversely affect
part dimensions, or embrittle the basis metal, pretreated, plated, post treated as defined herein,
and tested. Alternatively, all parts in the lot may be inspected for the nonconforming attribute, and
the nonconforming parts may be stripped by a method acceptable to purchaser that does not
roughen, pit, or embrittle the basis metal, pretreated, plated, post treated as defined herein, and
tested.

4.6.2 If the result of any periodic test fails to meet specified test requirements, the process is
nonconforming. No additional parts shall be plated until the process is corrected and new
specimens are plated and tested. Results of all tests shall be recorded and, when requested,
reported. Purchaser shall be notified of all parts plated since the last acceptable test.

5. PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY:

5.1 Plated parts shall be handled and packaged to ensure that required physical characteristics and
properties of the plating are preserved.

5.2 Packages of plated parts shall be prepared for shipment in accordance with commercial practice and
in compliance with applicable rules and regulations pertaining to the handling, packaging, and
transportation of the plated parts to ensure carrier acceptance and safe delivery.

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6. ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

A processor shall mention this specification number and its revision letter in all quotations and when
acknowledging purchase orders.

7. REJECTIONS:

Parts on which plating does not conform to this specification, or to modifications authorized by
purchaser, will be subject to rejection.

8. NOTES:

8.1 A change bar (|) located in the left margin is for the convenience of the user in locating areas where
technical revisions, not editorial changes, have been made to the previous issue of a specification.
An (R) symbol to the left of the document title indicates a complete revision of the specification,
including technical revision. Change bars and (R) are not used in original publications, nor in
specifications that contain editorial changes only.

8.2 Part manufacturing operations, such as heat treatment, forming, joining, and media finishing, can
affect the condition of the substrate for plating, or, if performed after plating, could adversely affect
the plate. The sequencing of these operations should be specified by the cognizant engineering
organization and is not controlled by this specification.

8.3 The parts manufacturer should ensure that the surfaces of the metal parts supplied to the plater are
free from blemishes, pits, tool marks, and other irregularities that will affect the quality of the finished
parts. Defects and variations in appearance that arise from surface conditions of the substrate, such
as porosity, scratches or inclusions, that persist in the finish plate despite observance of accepted
industry practices are not cause for rejection.

8.4 ARP 4992, Periodic Test Plan for Process Solutions, is recommended to satisfy the requirements for
the control of processing solutions.

8.5 An acid dip may be used for surface activation or neutralization of residual alkaline cleaner. However,
the immersion time should be minimized to preclude pitting.

8.6 The following thermal treatments have been used to achieve Class 2 hardness requirements. The
supplier is cautioned to avoid a thermal treatment that could soften or otherwise degrade the substrate.

TABLE 2 - Class 2 Thermal Treatments

Temperature Time, hours
450 °F (232 °C) 4, minimum
500 °F (260 °C) 4, minimum
550 °F (288 °C) 2, minimum
650 °F (343 °C) 1 to 1.5
750 °F (399 °C) 0.5 to 1

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8.7 Special surface preparation techniques, such as electropolishing, may be employed to minimize
plating porosity and maximize corrosion protection.

8.8 Phosphorus content of the plate may range from 1 to 13% by weight. Ductility is generally less for
low phosphorus (2 to 8%) deposits compared with high phosphorus (8 to 13%) deposits. Class 1
deposits that are low in phosphorous generally have less corrosion resistance than
Class 1 high-phosphorus deposits whereas Class 2 deposits that are high in phosphorus may
provide less salt fog corrosion protection to steel than Class 2 low-phosphorus coatings.

8.9 Terms used in AMS are clarified in ARP1917.

8.10 Dimensions in inch/pound units and the Fahrenheit temperatures are primary; dimensions in SI units
and the Celsius temperatures are shown as the approximate equivalents of the primary units and are
presented only for information.

8.11 Procurement documents should specify the following information:

AMS 2404E
Class of plate (See 1.3)
Plate composition, if specified
Plate thickness desired
Part number and quantity of pieces to be plated
Material
Minimum hardness or tensile strength of parts to be plated
Preplate stress relief temperature, if required
Special packaging, if required
Hydrogen embrittlement testing for each lot, if required, and specific test method required
Compressive stress, if required.

PREPARED UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF AMS COMMITTEE “B”

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