Development of an Environmentally Safe Way to Remove Silver Plate
from Low Alloy Steel without Harming the Base Material
Summary:
Abrasive blasting and electrochemical cells
are effective stripping agents to remove
electroplated silver from low alloy steel,
however, both cause surface morphology
damage to the base material.
Impact:
The airline industry uses silver as a solid
lubricant to reduce friction in several of its
components. The low alloy steel base
material of these parts need to be routinely
inspected for mechanical damage.
Current removal techniques use cyanide. By
developing a new technique, this hazardous
material may be able to be eliminated.
Objective:
Removal of silver plating from low alloy steel
without physically or chemically damaging the
surface of the base material.
Approach:
Evaluation of chemical, electrochemical, and
mechanical stripping techniques to
determine the best mechanism using SEM,
EDS, and optical profilometry data.
Contact:
Dr. Ekaterina Pomerantseva
Assistant Professor
Materials Science & Engineering
epomeran@coe.drexel.edu
(215) 571-4612