Cadmium Plating

the process by which cadmium is applied to the surface of steel articles by the method of electrodepo-sition to form protective coatings against atmospheric corrosion. The coating thickness usually varies from 15 to 25 jam. The most important parts of aircraft and ships, as well as products to be used under tropical conditions, are plated with cadmium. The presence of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere (which is characteristic of industrial areas) lowers the corrosion protection properties of cadmium coatings. In this case, the desired resistance of articles to corrosion is achieved through zinc plating. The electrolytes used in cadmium plating usually contain simple salts of cadium with admixtures of colloids (gelatin or glue), which give quite satisfactory coatings. Complex cadmium salts, mostly cyanides, are used for coating objects having complex configurations.