Investigation on Cavitation-Erosion Damage with the Cavitation Amplitude of Al Alloy Materials in Seawater

Abstract

Recently, 5000 series and 6000 series Al alloys have been used as hull materials for small and medium-sized ships because of their excellent weldability, corrosion resistance, and durability in marine environments. Al ships can navigate at high speed due to their light weight. However, cavitation-erosion problems cause reducing durability of Al ship at high speed. In this investigation, 5052-O, 5083-H321, and 6061-T6 Al alloy materials were used to evaluate the damage characteristics with amplitude (cavitation strength). As a result of the electrochemical experiments, the corrosion current density and corrosion potential of 6061-T6 in seawater were 8.52 × 10-7 A/cm2 and -0.771 V, respectively, presenting the best corrosion resistance. The cavitation-erosion experiment showed that 5052-O had the lowest hardness value and cavitation-erosion resistance. 5052-O also had a very short incubation period. As the experiment progressed for 5052-O, pitting formed and grew in a short time, and was observed as severe cavitation-erosion damage that surface detached. Among the three specimens, 5083-H321 presented the highest hardness value and the damage rate was the smallest after the initiation of pitting.