Cavitation-erosion results in severe mechanical damage of submerged rotating hydrodynamic equipment such as turbine runners, pump impellers, control valves and ship propellers, stationary venturis and control valve plugs. One approach to eliminating or minimizing this damage is with alloys of superior cavitation resistance. Field test apparatus using a source of water at high head has been developed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It is a pressurized cabinet in a water line with plexiglas windows for observation. Water at high pressure issues through a round edged orifice-nozzle into the cabinet of much lower pressure developing very high velocity. The water impinges on a sharp edged rectangular bar sample with implosive force. Weight loss is determined for alternative alloys and converted to volume loss.

Subject
Cavitation, Water, Materials, Stainless alloys, Valves, Bronze, Copper alloys, Metals, Equipment, Cast iron, Carbon steel, Monel alloys, Aluminum alloys
Keywords:
cavitation, cavitation-erosion, cavitation testing, cavitation resistance
© 1992 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1992
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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