AS 1897—1976

Australian Standard
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ELECTROPLATED COATINGS ON
THREADED COMPONENTS
(METRIC COARSE SERIES)
 The following scientific, industrial and governmental organizations and departments
were officially represented on the committee entrusted with the preparation of this
standard:
Associated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia
Australian Institute of Metal Finishing
Australian Institute of Metals
Department of Defence
Fasteners Institute of Australia
Railways of Australia Committee
Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Society of Automotive Engineers, Australasia
Telecom Australia
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This standard, prepared by Committee ME/39, Coating of Threaded Components, was

approved on behalf of the Council of the Standards Association of Australia on
24 March 1976, and was published on 1 November 1976.

Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject
to periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new edit ions as necessary. It is
important therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edit ion, and any
amendments thereto.
Full details of all Australi an Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards Australia
Catalogue of Publications; this information is supplemented each month by the magazine ‘The Australian
Standard’, which subscribing members receive, and which gives detail s of new publi cati ons, new edit ions
and amendments, and of withdrawn Standards.
Suggesti ons for improvements to Australi an Standards, addressed to the head off ice of Standards Australi a,
are welcomed. Noti fi cati on of any inaccuracy or ambiguity found in an Australian Standard should be made
without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.

This standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 74149.

 AS 1897—1976

Australian Standard
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ELECTROPLATED COATINGS ON
THREADED COMPONENTS
(METRIC COARSE SERIES)

First publi shed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1976

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7262 0974 0
 AS 1897—1976 2

PREFACE

This standard was prepared by the Association’s Committee on Coating of Threaded

Components, the committee having been constituted from the Committees on Screw
Threads, on Threaded Fasteners, and on Electroplated and Chemical Finishes.
With the introduction of metrication it was not a simple matter to convert imperial
standards which covered coatings on fasteners and other items threaded with imperial
thread forms. The Association therefore felt that a combined committee comprised of
members from the three main areas of interest was necessary to prepare a metric
standard to cover the coating of items threaded with ISO Triangular Thread Form, the
main metric thread form in use in Australia.
This combined committee approach was also considered necessary because of the
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approach taken by ISO/TC2/SC1/WG1 — Screw Threads, Surface Coatings other than

Paints, in document number 19 which made provision for the acceptance of coated
items to two levels of interference in the assembly of a nut and a bolt, the less
exacting of which did not take into account gauging after coating. When the committee
examined this provision they felt such practice would not be acceptable to Australian
industry and have prepared this specification on the basis of ‘GO’ gauging to basic
size after coating.
Because of the importance of gauging before and after coating, and the need to make
additional allowance for thicker coatings, reference to the applicable Australian
standard is necessary. These applicable standards are as follows:
AS 1110 ISO Metric Hexagon Precision Bolts and Screws
AS 1111 ISO Metric Hexagon Commercial Bolts and Screws
AS 1112 ISO Metric Hexagon Nuts, including Thin Nuts, Slotted Nuts and
Castle Nuts
AS 1275 Metric Screw Threads for Fasteners (Based on ISO Recommendations)
AS 1721 General Purpose Metric Screw Threads.
This standard specifies coating thickness requirements but does not make provision for
such properties as appearance, adhesion, ductility or corrosion resistance. Therefore
reference to Australian or other related coating standards is necessary. Australian
standards to which reference may be made are as follows:
AS 1192 Electroplated Coatings of Nickel and Chromium
AS 1789 Electroplated Coatings of Zinc on Iron and Steel
 3 AS 1897—1976

AS 1790 Electroplated Coatings of Cadmium on Iron and Steel

AS 1791 Chromate Conversion Coatings on Zinc and Cadmium Electrodeposits
AS 1856 Electroplated Coatings of Silver for Engineering Applications
AS 1857 Electroplated Coatings of Silver for Decorative Applications
AS 1901 Electroplated Coatings of Gold and Gold Alloy for Engineering
Applications
AS 1902 Electroplated Coatings of Gold and Gold Alloy for Decorative
Applications
AS K141 Electroplated Coatings of Tin
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 AS 1897—1976 4

CONTENTS
Page

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

SECTION 1. SCOPE AND GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.2 Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4 Dimensional Requirements Before Plating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.5 Applicability to Wood Screws and Self-tapping Screws . . . . . . . . . 9
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1.6 Protective Value and Service Condition Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1.7 Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.8 Standard Coating for Fasteners with Zinc or Cadmium Coating . . 11
1.9 Chromate Conversion Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.10 Coating Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.11 Heat Treatment of Steel for Relief of Stress and of Hydrogen
Embrittlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

SECTION 2. APPLICABILITY OF COATING TO STANDARD THREADS

2.1 Least Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.2 Probability of Acceptance by ‘GO’ Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

SECTION 3. APPLICABILITY OF COATING TO MODIFIED THREADS

3.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... .. 16
3.2 Extent of Thread Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .... 16
3.3 Calculation of Thread Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ..... . 16
3.4 Achievement of Preplating Thread Dimensions . . . . . ..... .... 16

APPENDICES
A Supplementary Information to be Supplied with the Enquiry or
Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
B Special Factors in the Electroplating of Screw Threads . . . . . . .. 28
C Notes on Surface Areas of Threaded Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
D Probability of Acceptance by ‘GO’ Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
E Recommended Sampling Procedures for the Coating of
Threaded Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
 5 AS 1897—1976

STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard Specification

for
ELECTROPLATED COATINGS ON THREADED COMPONENTS
(METRIC COARSE SERIES)

FOREWORD

This specification deals with the coating of ISO metric threaded items of steel and
copper alloy by electrodeposition of the more common protective finishes. However,
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the electroplating of threaded items presents a number of problems which necessitate

special care in the specification, application and inspection of electrodeposited
coatings, viz:
(a) The thickness of the electrodeposits on screw threads must be sufficient to provide
the required resistance to corrosion and at the same time be not so great as to
prevent assembly. Specifications for the electroplating of threaded items therefore
must have both a maximum and a minimum value for the coating thickness.
(b) Because of the geometry of screw threads, the theoretical change in pitch diameter
is several times the coating thickness. The factor depends on flank angles, and for
metric threads the theoretical factor is 4.0. In practice, this change in pitch
diameter is generally greater than the theoretical factor because of the tendency
for the coating to be thicker on the crests of the threads and hence to change the
thread flank angle.
(c) With any form of electroplating the coating tends to be preferentially deposited
on projections and to be much thinner in any recess. For screws and bolts, the
coating is thicker on the extremities and on the threaded ends of the items than
on the centre of the bolt length. The longer the bolt in proportion to its diameter
the greater this tendency. Fortunately these extremities are the positions which are
most significant in the ultimate service of the screw or bolt. Similarly for nuts, the
thickness of coating on the threads is very much greater at the ends than on the
interior of the nut. The greater thickness will again be on the outer surfaces which
are most significant in service. Thin coatings on the interior threads are not
normally serious where sacrificial coatings are used in practice because such
surfaces are normally in contact with the thicker coating on the external threads
on which the nut is assembled.

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 AS 1897—1976 6

(d) In order that threaded items which are to be plated may be manufactured to the
same thread class as those which are to be left with plain finish, and to ensure that
male and female threads of plated items assemble without interference, protective
coating thicknesses must be within the limits of the minimum clearances
determined by those classes. Hence the application of the recommended deposits
on ISO metric threads is limited by the fundamental deviation of the thread, its
pitch, and tolerance class. Tables have been drawn up showing the minimum pitch
that can be used to accommodate the coating thicknesses specified in this standard
for tolerance classes 6H with G deviation and 6G for nuts and tolerance
classes 6g, 6e and 8g for bolts without prejudicing the actual tolerance class
which may be specified for products in other Australian standards (see Fig. 4).
The probability of rejection by GO gauge of basic size, after plating, used in
drawing up these tables is less than that likely to be specified for final inspection
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of products. A probability of approximately 99.6 percent has been adopted; further

details are given in Appendix D.
Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a coating which has been plated on an external screw
thread; t is the thickness of coating, and θ is the angle between flanks of the thread.
A coating thickness t on the external thread results in an increase in pitch diameter of
2t cosec θ/2, which for a thread of included angle of 60 degrees gives the increase in
pitch diameter of 4t (see (b) above).

θ = 60 degrees of ISO Metri c threads.

Fig. 1. THE OR ETICAL CHA NGE IN PITCH DIAMETER RE SU LTING

FROM DEP OS IT OF THICKN ES S t

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 7 AS 1897—1976

In practice, external threads receive a heavier coating on the tip of the threaded end
and on the head; this non-uniformity of coating increases with increasing
length/diameter ratio. Furthermore, some slight variation in coating distribution occurs
on the individual thread flanks, the tendency being for heavier deposition of coating
at the crest of the thread than at the root. The effect of these variations is to increase
the pitch diameter more than the theoretical factor of 4. Diagrammatic presentation of
clearance between an external and an internal thread is shown in Fig. 2.
NOTE: There are two types of electroplating process in common use, viz vat plati ng and barrel plati ng.
In vat plati ng the it ems are suspended individually in the plating solutions either by wires or on ji gs and
are connected electri call y to the cathode bar. In barr el plati ng the items are contained in a suit able vessel
which either contains the plati ng soluti on or is immersed in a tank of plati ng solution. In both cases the
barr el is rotated so as to ensure even mixing of the work, and electri c current is fed fr om item to it em in
the barrel load so that all items receive a coati ng. It has been found that the vari ations in average
thickness of coati ng received by dif ferent items in a barrel load foll ow a normal Gaussian distr ibution
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curve. This is the basis on which batch average thicknesses quoted in this specifi cati on have been deri ved.

NOTES
1. Minimum clearance allowed for assembly of standard unplated threads at maximum materi al conditi on.
2. Maximum clearance allowed for assembly of standard unplated threads at least material conditi on.

Fig. 2. CLEAR AN CE BE TWEE N EX TERN AL AND INTERN AL THR EA DS

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 AS 1897—1976 8

SECTION 1. SCOPE AND GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE. This specification sets out requirements for electroplated coatings of
cadmium, zinc, tin, nickel, nickel plus chromium, and copper plus nickel plus
chromium, on steel or copper alloy items having threads of the ISO triangular form
specified in the following Australian standards:
AS 1110 ISO Metric Hexagon Precision Bolts and Screws
AS 1111 ISO Metric Hexagon Commercial Bolts and Screws
AS 1112 ISO Metric Hexagon Nuts, including Thin Nuts, Slotted Nuts and
Castle Nuts
AS 1275 Metric Screw Threads for Fasteners (Based on ISO Recommendations)
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AS 1721 General Purpose Metric Screw Threads.

Section 2 details least pitches of standard metric threads which can accommodate
standard coating thicknesses. Where standard fundamental deviations in pitches lower
than those outlined in Section 2 are unable to accommodate the desired standard
coating thickness, greater deviations are necessary and means for their determination
are provided in Section 3.
NOTES:
1. The values specifi ed with regard to the spread of plating thickness have been based on experimental
work limit ed to fasteners coated by barr el plati ng.
2. Orders to the requirements of this specifi cati on require supplementary informati on. Detail s of this
information are set out in Appendix D.
1.2 APPLICATION. The application of this specification shall be extended as
follows:
(a) The dimensional requirements shall apply to electroplated coatings other than
those listed in Clause 1.1 when the coatings are applied to threaded metallic items.
(b) All requirements shall apply to threaded fasteners having dimensions beyond the
dimensions of those threaded fasteners that are normally barrel plated, i.e. where
the nominal length of the threaded fastener is greater than 10 times its nominal
diameter. However in this application the mathematical considerations may be less
than exact.
(c) The specification shall apply to threaded components other than fasteners, whether
barrel or individually processed, by agreement between the purchaser and the
supplier.
1.3 DEFINITIONS. For the purpose of this specification, the following definitions
apply:

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AS 1897-1976, Electroplated coatings on threaded

components (metric coarse series)
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