EROSION AND CORROSION OF PURE IRON UNDER CAVITATING CONDITIONS

Pure iron has been eroded in various aqueous solutions at 50-degrees-C using a 20 kHz vibratory facility and the erosion kinetics determined, the corrosion component during erosion determined electrochemically, the size distribution of the erosion products determined and the eroded surface examined metallographically. Salt in the water increased the erosion rate 1.4 times and gave a smaller maximum size of eroded particle, and the erosion, corrosion and corrosion-induced erosion components of damage were estimated to be the fractions 0.71, 0.10 and 0.19, respectively. The effects of an inhibitor, pH, cathodic protection and amplitude of vibration on the erosion were also briefly examined. The results are presented and discussed in terms of the erosion/corrosion processes.