Effect of solution treatment on cavitation erosion behavior of high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel

Abstract

The effect of solution treatment on the cavitation erosion behavior of a Fe-18Cr-16Mn-2Mo-0.66 N high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel (HNSS) exposed in distilled water up to 8 h was investigated using magnetostrictive cavitation, micro-hardness, mass loss measurements, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the solution treatment slightly decreased the hardness of the HNSS but significantly increased its elasticity. The HNSS with an improved elastic property was shown to have a higher resistance to the absorption of energy produced by cavitation erosion, and hence a higher cavitation erosion resistance. The cavitation erosion damage of the HNSS in distilled water was found to be a deformation-controlled process which limited by the formation and development of plastic deformation during cavitation erosion tests.