Diseño de un equipo de cobreado, para mejorar la conductividad eléctrica y protección de barras de conexión a tierra

Abstract

Corrosion in metallic materials is a problem in different sectors. Copper plating, which protects against corrosion and improves electrical conductivity in steel bars, is not available locally. This project seeks to apply methods such as electroplating to solve this situation and improve the properties of metallic components, so the objective of this project was to design a copper plating equipment to improve the electrical conductivity and protection of grounding bars. The study was developed using an exploratory and experimental approach. A literature review was carried out to gather information on electroplating processes and theoretical fundamentals related to electrical and electrochemical conductivity. Experiments were also carried out to determine the optimum variables, such as electrolyte concentration, type of anode, cathode, voltage and current parameters. Comparative tests were carried out using different copper plating methods, such as with hydrochloric acid which obtained a voltage of 3.34 V, a current of 2.48 A in a set time of 30 minutes, with sulfuric acid which obtained a voltage of 4.5 V, a current of 1.87 A in a set time of 5 minutes and with copper sulfate which obtained a voltage of 6.5 V, a current of 0.43 A in a set time of 5 minutes, also the results were evaluated in terms of quality of the coating, using qualification scales. In conclusion, it was possible to determine the crucial variables in the copper plating process, which allowed identifying the most adequate method to apply on the grounding bars. By establishing technical parameters, the basis for the efficient design of the copper plating equipment was established. In addition, the economic feasibility of the equipment supported the viability of the project was confirmed.