Influence of microstructure on the erosion of plain carbon steels

Abstract

The solid particle erosion behavior of plain carbon steels was examined as a function of carbon content and microstructure: this work included steels in the pearlitic, martensitic, and tempered conditions. The results showed that erosion by solid particles impacting at 30° is accelerated with an increasing volume of brittle cementite in pearlitic steels of constant interlamellar spacing. Under these erosion conditions, thermally hardened martensitic structures exhibited an increased erosion rate when compared to pearlitic steels of the same carbon content, whereas tempering resulted in a decrease in the rate of erosion. A good correlation exists among the hardness, deformability, and erosive wear characteristics of plain carbon steels for the experimental conditions of the present study. Ductile alloys exhibited lower erosion rates, severely deformed surfaces, and considerable subsurface plastic deformation. In the hardened or brittle condition, the steels experienced higher erosive weight losses, suggesting that more of the kinetic energy from impacting particles was dissipated, primarily in the form of material removal rather than plastic deformation. The microstructural mechanisms of erosion also are considered in terms of some current theories.