Contributions for increasing the CuZnPb brass durability to cavitation erosion

Abstract

Among the materials, often used in manufacturing details subjected to cavitation erosion, such as pump impellers, propellers, fittings, valves body, etc. there are also CuZnPb brasses. Their use in molded or laminated condition, for pieces subjected to cavitation, is of short duration due to degradation through the erosion. For this reason, any method of increasing the extension of life, is beneficial. In this direction are enrolled also the results obtained in this paper, obtained by the cavitation tests made on CuZn39Pb3 brass, subjected to three the volumetric heat treatment regimes. Appreciation of cavitation resistance, of each treatment regime, is based on the evolution of average durability defined by K.Steller. The research program, conducted on the standard vibration device with piezo ceramic crystals, in the Cavitation Laboratory of the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, shows that the best results are offered by hardening treatment.