Cavitation erosion of steels processed with laser beam and optical discharge plasma

Abstract

The response of a solid state body to cavitation attack depends on impingement parameters as well as the properties of the eroded material. Changes to steel surface structural features intended to give cavitation resistance were induced by laser methods in order to test the usefulness of laser beam and optical discharge plasma surface remelting in protecting a 0·45% carbon steel and a 13% chromium steel against cavitation damage. Some light is also shed on the correlation between the performance of hardened layers during the incubation period of cavitation erosion and their physical properties.