Relationship between the geometric features of carbon steel cavitation erosion debris and the cavitation erosion stages

Abstract

The debris produced in vibration cavitation tests of three kinds of carbon steel were collected. Their geometric features were analyzed quantitatively and observed respectively by a profilometer and a scanning electronic microscope (SEM) with reference to the investigation of the cavitation damaged surface by SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that among the debris produced in all cavitation erosion stages, more than 45% were platelets because of the occurrence of dislocation and cleavage fracture, and only less than 25% were strands. The number of granule was small in the first cavitation erosion stage and increased rapidly to the number comparable with that of platelets in the next stage, and then reduced in the third stage. The sphericity values of the debris varied in accordance with the stages of cavitation damage, which were 0.3–0.4 in the incubation stage, 0.5–0.7 in the acceleration stage and not less than 0.5 in the maximum rate stage, although a slight decrease occurred in the third stage.