Effect of temperature on cavitation erosion of 9Cr steel in liquid metal

Research on cavitation erosion in liquid metals is very important to confirm the safety of fast breeder reactors and industrial machinery. However, researches on the cavitation erosion in liquid metal are few compared with the study in water. In this study, the effect of the temperature on cavitation erosion in liquid metals is clarified. A cavitation erosion apparatus was developed to carry out erosion tests at high temperatures in liquid metals, and it was confirmed to offer a stable test performance. The test liquid was a lead–bismuth alloy and the specimens were made of 9Cr and SUS304 steels. The results showed that the cavitation erosion rate increased with increased temperature and reached a peak value at a relative temperature of about 70° (the relative temperature was defined as 0° for the freezing temperature and 100° for the boiling temperature). The erosion rate prediction was discussed for sodium. The erosion rate in sodium was estimated to be located halfway from the rates between lead bismuth and deionized water.