Cavitation and Erosion Damage and Damage Particle-Size Measurements with Radioisotopes

A radiotracer technique has been developed for the continuous measurement of cavitation damage in a closed-loop venturi facility and used to determine the damage rate of type 302 stainless steel in a cavitation field as a function of time. The size of particles removed from the test specimens was measured using a radiotracer sieving method. It is believed that these techniques have broad application in the field of cavitation and erosion studies. The measurements obtained are unique in providing an accurate damage rate measurement as a function of time for the initial stages of damage, as well as yielding an indication of particle size. The wear rates measured ranged from 0.15 mg/hr to 0.001 mg/hr and the particle diameters were predominantly between 0.5 and 3 mils.