Erosion wear behavior of HSn70-1 copper alloy under multiphase flow

The HSn70-1 copper alloy was used as propeller material due to its excellent properties. It would be degraded by erosion wear when working in the multiphase flow. But its erosion wear behavior is still remained unclear. In this study, the erosion wear behavior of HSn70-1 copper alloy in multiphase flow (water with SiC particles) was investigated by changing the flow velocity, the impact angle and the particle size. The mass loss rate, surface micrograph and surface roughness of alloys after eroded under different conditions were tested. The results showed that the cumulative mass loss of the HSn70-1 alloys increased as the flow velocity and particle size increased. The mass loss initially increased and reached a maximum value at 30°. Subsequently it decreased as the impact angle increased. The surface features demonstrated that the erosion mechanism of HSn70-1 copper alloy in multiphase flow was micro-machining. The SiC particles with high kinetic energy would lead to the deformation of the alloy surface and the damage of the passive film.