An aerospace component made of aluminum is to be protected by a uniform layer of…

CHEMISTRY · Multi-part · AP · Chemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry · Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Problem

An aerospace component made of aluminum is to be protected by a uniform layer of nickel applied through electroplating. The component’s surface can be approximated as a single smooth cylinder that is

25.0\,\text{cm}

long with a diameter of

4.00\,\text{cm}

. All external surfaces (including the two circular ends) must be coated. A power supply is limited to delivering a steady current of

5.00\,\text{A}

. To meet production scheduling, the plating step cannot exceed

1.50\,\text{h}

. Nickel deposits from

\text{Ni}^{2+}

ions. Relevant data: density of nickel =

8.90\,\text{g}\,\text{cm}^{-3}

; atomic mass of Ni =

58.7\,\text{g}\,\text{mol}^{-1}

. (a) Determine the maximum uniform nickel thickness (in micrometres) that can be achieved on the component within the specified time and current limits. (b) If the design specification requires a minimum thickness of

4.5\,\mu\text{m}

, evaluate whether the current power-supply constraint is sufficient. Support your answer with calculations or reasoning.

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