Behavior of a welded-deposited stainless steel tested at different cavitation test conditions

Abstract

Two different ultrasonic vibratory-cavitation test conditions have been applied to a welded-deposited austenitic stainless steel AISI 321 to evaluate the resistance of deposited layer to cavitation erosion-corrosion. The cavitation test was conducted utilizing two test fluids; water and 3.5% NaCl solution. In addition, a certain voltage difference has been applied between the test specimen and water to form a combination effect. The welding wire of the AISI 321 stainless steel was deposited onto AISI 1040 steel substrate by using tungsten inert gas welding process. To evaluate and compare the behavior of the deposited material, the cumulative mass loss curves were attained and discussed. Moreover, the surface topography and scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs were utilized to characterize the worn surface after the cavitation tests. The results showed that the surface subjected to cavitation was more affected when applying water-voltage condition comparing with the 3.5% NaCl solution condition. The results of material loss, surface roughness and scanning electron microscope are fairly consistent with each other. This study highlights the effect of electrochemical-mechanical combinations on resistance to cavitation erosion-corrosion.