Corrosion In Aviation Practice Test

Electroplating is the process of transferring metal from one object to another by chemical and electrical means. In this process, the item to be plated becomes the cathode and a piece of the plating metal acts as the anode; both are immersed in an electrolyte containing ions of the plating metal. When current is applied, metal ions are reduced at the cathode and deposit as a thin coating on the surface. This coating improves corrosion resistance, wear resistance, or appearance and is common on aircraft components for protection and longevity. The other options describe different ideas: painting coats a surface without metal deposition; diffusion of zinc into steel is a metallurgical diffusion process rather than plating from solution; and mechanical rust cleaning removes rust without depositing metal.