A Dual-Anode Electrolytic Codecomposition Approach to Enhance A36 Steel Properties With Zn-13, Rice Husk, and White Clay Coatings

The literature on using ceramic particles from agroindustrial wastes to enhance the engineering performance of metallic materials is limited. This study explores using rice husk (RH) and white clay (WC) particulates to develop zinc-based composite coatings on A36 steel. Four cathode specimens (80 × 40 × 2 mm) of A36 steel and two zinc anodes (50 × 30 × 2 mm) were prepared. The steel specimens were coated with Zn-10RHWC(t25), Zn-10RHWC(t30), Zn-15RHWC(t25), and Zn-15RHWC(t30), denoted as S1, S2, S3, and S4, respectively. The concentrations used were 10/15 g/L, with deposition times of 25/30 min at a constant cell voltage of 0.5 V. Corrosion rates (CRs) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl were investigated according to ASTM and NACE standards. The coated samples’ hardness, tensile strength (TS), and wear rate (WR) properties were also examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to study the morphology and crystallization of the coatings. The coated specimens exhibited significantly lower CR than the uncoated steel (CR = 8.45 ± 0.58 mm/year). CR values for S1 to S4 were 5.74 ± 0.41, 2.18 ± 0.42, 3.09 ± 0.38, and 5.92 ± 0.45 mm/year, respectively. All coated specimens showed substantial improvements in TS over the uncoated specimen (4.81%, 2.83%, and 4.29% for upper, middle, and lower sections, respectively). Regarding deformation modulus, the Zn-15RHWC(t25) samples exhibited improvements of about 1.31% and 1.38% in the upper and middle sections, respectively, while the lower section experienced a decrease of 2.03%. The study demonstrates significant enhancements in the engineering properties of A36 steel coated with Zn-13, RH, and WC using the dual-anode electrolytic codeposition technique.