Cavitation and Erosion Behavior of Tin Brass in Multiphase Flow

The influence of flow rate and particle on cavitation and erosion of tin brass in multiphase flow was investigated by using a scanning electron microscopy and a rotating disk system. Results show that the cavitation resistance decreased with increasing liquid flow rate, but magnitude of decrease reduced after a threshold liquid velocity due to surface hardening induced by impact of the current. The cavitation erosion process can be divided into three stages, i.e. incubation, accumulation and steady periods, through analysis of the curve of quality loss rate. Mass loss was significantly higher in liquid-solid flow than in water showing negative effect of particle on the cavitation erosion resistance. Some characteristic morphologies produced by cavitation and erosion, e.g. pits, shear lips, groove were observed by carefully analyzing the tested surface.