Synergy of cavitation and slurry erosion in the slurry pot tester

Hydraulic machine materials are routinely tested under laboratory conditions to study the effects of slurry erosion and cavitation erosion. The material removal may occur by either of the modes or by their combined effect. To evaluate the damage in the latter case, where the damage can be severe, there is a need for a suitable test method that combines the two modes. With this objective, a new simple method is developed that combines the effect of slurry erosion and cavitation erosion. Triangular prismatic bluff bodies are used as cavitation inducers in the conventional slurry pot tester. In the slurry pot the brass test specimens are exposed to water/slurry, with and without cavitation inducers. Analysis of the wear results reveals significant variations in material loss confirming synergistic erosion damage. The new laboratory testing method can be very useful in assessing and ranking of the material performance under combined particle and cavitation erosion conditions.