STUDY OF CAVITATION EROSION PHENOMENON AT STAINLESS STEEL AISI 304 BASE AND WITH SIC COATING

Abstract

The phenomenon of cavitation erosion consists of the formation, growth, and collapse of bubbles in liquid media. The bubbles are responsible for the damage generated to metal and non-metal materials. Consequently, there is a pronounced degradation on the material surface, producing a scar in the impact area of the bubbles, and eventually the detachment of material. This experimental work aims to determine the performance of AISI 304 stainless steel base and coated with SiC. The SiC coating was obtained by the Chemical Vapor Deposition technique assisted by plasma. The tests were done through an ultrasonic cavitometer with a frequency of 28 kHz in an aqueous medium using tap water. According to the evidence of mass loss, results indicate that the stainless steel coated with SiC have better wear resistance than stainless steel base. In addition, failure mechanisms as cracking, plastic deformation, pits and others, were identified.

Keywords

• cavitation erosion
• sic coating
• cavitometer
• failure mechanisms
• wear resistance