Analysis on cavitation erosion resistance of isostatic graphite

Isostatic graphite materials with 8% porosity and 14% porosity were prepared by the cold isostatic pressing process. Cavitation erosion resistance of the isostatic graphite was evaluated through cavitation tests in an ultrasonic vibration system. The volume loss and erosion morphology of the isostatic graphite were adopted to investigate the cavitation erosion resistance of the isostatic graphite. The cavitation test results show that after ultrasonic vibration of 14 h, the volume loss of the isostatic graphite materials with 8% porosity and 14% porosity are 35% and 46% of the carbon graphite material, respectively. The isostatic graphite material with 8% porosity exhibits an outstanding capability to resist cavitation erosion damage, and the cavitation erosion resistance of the isostatic graphite enhances with the decrease in porosity. The damage mechanism of isostatic graphite is brittle fracture attributed to the shock wave and micro jet. The isostatic graphite with low porosity exhibits excellent cavitation erosion resistance due to its fine graphite particles, homogeneous structure and high degree of hardness. © 2020, Editorial Department of Journal of Southeast University. All right reserved.