Solid Particle Erosion of AISI 304 SS Caused by Alumina Particles

This research work was carried out with the aim of continuing to expand knowledge on the behaviour of AISI 304 stainless steel against solid particle erosion. In this particular case, the steel was subjected to the impact of alumina particles, which are hard abrasives with irregular and angular shapes. Different characterization techniques were applied to gain a better understanding of alumina. For instance, particle size distribution was obtained using the Analysette 28 Image Sizer and the particle size was between 300 - 400 μm. SEM and EDS analysis were used to know the morphology and chemical composition of both the abrasive particles and AISI 304 stainless steel. Additionally, mechanical properties values such as the hardness and Young’s modulus of AISI 304 steel were attained using a Berkovich indenter (model TTX-NHT, CSM Instruments). On the other hand, two tests were carried out for each impact angle used, 30？, 45？, 60？ and 90？, with a particle velocity of 24 ± 2 m/s and an abrasive flow rate of 63 ± 0.5 g/min, employing a test rig based on ASTM G76-95 standard. SEM images using two detectors, Backscattered Electron Detector (BED) and Low Electron Detector (LED), were employed to identify the wear mechanisms on the AISI 304 eroded surfaces at 30？ and 90？. Finally, the erosion rates of AISI 304 compared to those results reached by AISI 1018 steel and AISI 420 stainless steel tested under identical conditions in previous works.