Elevated temperature erosion of range of composite layers of Ni–Cr based functionally graded material

Abstract

AbstractFunctionally graded materials can be used in aggressive environments at elevated temperature because they provide the possibility of minimising wastage of materials. Gradation of the volume fraction of hard particles through the layers means that thermal cycling effects are less severe than for many conventional metal–substrate systems. Because such materials may provide resistance to wear and corrosion (by using a corrosion resistant matrix), it is thought that they may have applications to environments at elevated temperatures, in which materials selection involves a compromise between corrosion resistance and high yield strength. The object of the present study was to investigate the erosion resistance of the various layers of a candidate functionally graded material which consisted of WC particles in a Ni–Cr matrix. The performances of the various composite layers were considered separately in order to establish the variation of erosion rates through the graded structure. The effects of temper...