Wear, a form of surface deterioration, is a factor in a majority of component failures. This article is primarily concerned with abrasive wear mechanisms such as plastic deformation, cutting, and fragmentation which, at their core, stem from a difference in hardness between contacting surfaces. Adhesive wear, the type of wear that occurs between two mutually soluble materials, is also discussed, as is erosive wear, liquid impingement, and cavitation wear. The article also presents a procedure for failure analysis and provides a number of detailed examples, including jaw-type rock crusher wear, electronic circuit board drill wear, grinding plate wear failure analysis, impact wear of disk cutters, and identification of abrasive wear modes in martensitic steels.

A fan support casting failed unexpectedly while running at 1800 rpm in pulp at 65 deg C (150 deg F). The leading edge of the blade exhibited deep spongy holes leading to reduced section and finally to fracture of the part when the remaining section size was insufficient to support the load. Analysis showed the support casting to be a standard 8620 type composition with a hardness of 311 HRB. The design of the casting was not streamlined. There were several square corners present where great pressure differences could be generated. This was a case of erosion-corrosion with the classic spongy appearance of cavitation. Two changes were proposed: streamlining the part to avoid abrupt changes in fluid flow; and a change in alloy to a more corrosion-resistant material (304 or preferably 316) to increase the tenacity of protective films.

Stator vanes (cast from a Cu-Mn-Al alloy) in a hydraulic dynamometer used in a steam-turbine test facility were severely eroded. The dynamometer was designed to absorb up to 51 MW (69,000 hp) at 3670 rpm, and constituted an extrapolation of previous design practices and experience. Its stator was subject to severe erosion after relatively short operating times and initially required replacement after each test program. Although up to 60 cu cm (3.7 cu in.) of material was being lost from each vane, it only reduced the power-absorption capacity by a small amount. Analysis supported the conclusion that the damage was due to liquid erosion, but it could not be firmly established whether it was caused by cavitation or by liquid impact. Recommendations included making a material substitution (to Mo-13Cr-4Ni stainless steel) and doing a redesign to reduce susceptibility to erosion as well as erosion-producing conditions.

This article considers two mechanisms of cavitation failure: those for ductile materials and those for brittle materials. It examines the different stages of cavitation erosion. The article explains various cavitation failures including cavitation in bearings, centrifugal pumps, and gearboxes. It provides information on the cavitation resistance of materials and other prevention parameters. The article describes two American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for the evaluation of erosion and cavitation, namely, ASTM Standard G 32 and ASTM Standard G 73. It concludes with a discussion on correlations between laboratory results and service.

A cast iron cylinder liner from a diesel engine suffered localized damage on the cooling water side leading to serration of the edges and heavy pitting. This heavy damage was cavitation damage, frequently observed in diesel motor cylinders. To combat such damage the following measures are recommended in the specialist literature: reduction in piston play; reduction in the amplitude by thicker-walled linings; hard chromizing of the cooling water side; and, addition of a protective oil to the cooling water. The effect of the protective oil is presumably based on a film of oil which forms on the cylinder surface and which is not so easily scoured off during vibration. The effect of the imploding vacuum bubbles is reduced by the oil film which can renew itself from the emulsion.

Two water pumps were taken out of service because of reduced output. Visual inspection revealed considerable material loss in both impellers, which were 25.4 cm (10 in.) in diam x 1.3 cm (0.5 in.) wide and made from a cast bronze alloy. Several similar water pumps operating under nearly identical conditions, drawing water from an open tank through a standpipe, had no observable failures. Etched micrographs 100x of samples taken from the impellers showed clean, pockmarked, severely eroded surfaces, characteristic of cavitation damage. Investigation also revealed that considerable quantities of air were being drawn into the system when water in the supply tank dropped below a certain level. It was concluded that cavitation erosion (due to the uptake of air) caused metal removal and microstructural damage in the impellers. Recommendations included adding a water-level control to the piping system and excluding air from the pump inlet.

Equipment in which an assembly of in-line cylindrical components rotated in water at 1040 rpm displayed excessive vibration after less than one hour of operation. The malfunction was traced to an aluminum alloy 6061-T6 combustion chamber that was part of the rotating assembly. Analysis (visual inspection, 100x/500x/800x micrographic examination, spectrographic analysis, and hardness testing) supported the conclusions that, as a result of improper heat treatment, the combustion-chamber material was too soft for successful use in this application. Misalignment of the combustion chamber and one or both of the mating parts resulted in eccentric rotation and the excessive vibration that caused malfunction of the assembly. Irregularities in the housing around the combustion chamber and temperature variation relating to the combustion pattern in the chamber were considered to be possible contributing factors to localization of the cavitation erosion. Recommendations included adopting inspection procedures to ensure that the specified properties of aluminum alloy 6061-T6 were obtained and that the combustion chamber and adjacent components were aligned within specified tolerances. In a similar situation, consideration should also be given to raising the pressure in the coolant in order to suppress the formation of cavitation bubbles.

Two damaged impellers made of austenitic cast iron came from a rotary pump used for pumping brine mixed with drifting sand. On one of the impellers, pieces were broken out of the back wall in four places at the junction to the blades. The fracture edges followed the shape of the blade. Numerous cavitation pits were seen on the inner side of the front wall visible through the breaks in the back wall. The back wall of the as yet intact second impeller which did not show such deep cavitation pits was cracked in places along the line of the blades. The microstructure consisted of lamellar graphite and carbides in an austenitic matrix and was considered normal for the specified material GGL Ni-Cu-Cr 15 6 2. It was concluded that the cause of the damage was porosity at the junction between back wall and blades arising during the casting process. Cavitation did not contribute to fracture but also could have led to damage in the long term in the case of a sound casting. It is therefore advisable in the manufacture of new impellers to take care not only to avoid porosity but also to use alloy GGL Ni-Cu-Cr 15 6 3, which has a higher chromium content and is more resistant to cavitation.

Material samples collected from failed booster pumps were analyzed to determine the cause of failure and assess the adequacy of the materials used in the design. The pumps had been in service at a power plant, transporting feedwater from a deaerator to a main turbine boiler. Samples from critical areas of the pump were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical analysis, and tensile testing. Based on microstructure and morphology, estimated corrosion rates, and particle concentrations in the feedwater, it was concluded that cavitation and erosion were the dominant failure mechanisms and that the materials and processes used to make the pumps were largely unsuited for the application.

Cavitation damage of diesel engine cylinder liners is due to vibration of the cylinder wall, initiated by slap of the piston under the combined forces of inertia and firing pressure as it passes top dead center. The occurrence on the anti-thrust side may possibly result from bouncing of the piston. The exact mechanism of cavitation damage is not entirely clear. Two schools of thought have developed, one supporting an essentially erosive, and the other an essentially corrosive, mechanism. Measures to prevent, or reduce, cavitation damage should be considered firstly from the aspect of design, attention being given to methods of reducing the amplitude of the liner vibration. Attempts have been made to reduce the severity of attack by attention to the environment. Inhibitors, such as chromates, benzoate/nitrite mixtures, and emulsified oils, have been tried with varying success. Attempts have been made to reduce or prevent cavitation damage by the application of cathodic protection, and this has been found to be effective in certain instances of trouble on propellers.

Critical heat exchanger components are usually manufactured from durable steels, such as stainless steel, which exhibit good strength and corrosion resistance. Failure of a heat exchanger occurred due to specification of a plain carbon steel that did not survive service in the SO2 vapor environment. However, failure analysis showed that cavitation erosion was the responsible failure mechanism, not corrosion as might be expected.

Erosion of solid surfaces can be brought about solely by liquids in two ways: from damage induced by formation and subsequent collapse of voids or cavities within the liquid, and from high-velocity impacts between a solid surface and liquid droplets. The former process is called cavitation erosion and the latter is liquid-droplet erosion. This article emphasizes on manifestations of damage and ways to minimize or repair these types of liquid impact damage, with illustrations.

Erosion occurs as the result of a number of different mechanisms, depending on the composition, size, and shape of the eroding particles; their velocity and angle of impact; and the composition of the surface being eroded. This article describes the erosion of ductile and brittle materials with the aid of models and equations. It presents three examples of erosive wear failures, namely, abrasive erosion, erosion-corrosion, and cavitation erosion.

The repeated failure of rubber-covered rotors and volute liners in a flue gas desulfurization system after conversion from lime slurry reagent to limestone slurry reagent was investigated. The pump was a horizontal 50 x 65 mm (2 x 2.5 in.) Galiger pump with a split cast iron case and open rotor (impeller). Both the case and the ductile iron rotor core were covered by natural rubber. Analyses conducted included surface examination of wear patterns, chemical analysis of materials, measurement of mechanical properties, and in-place flow tests. It was determined that the proximate cause of failure was cavitation and vortexing between the rotor and the lining. The root cause of the failure was the conversion from lime to limestone slurry without appropriate modification of the pump. Conversion to the limestone slurry resulted in fluid dynamics outside the operational limits of the pump. The recommended remedial action was replacement with a pump appropriately sized for the desired pressures and flow rates for limestone slurry.

Erosion is the progressive loss of original material from a solid surface due to mechanical interaction between that surface and a fluid, a multicomponent fluid, an impinging liquid, or impinging solid particles. The detrimental effects of erosion have caused problems in a number of industries. This article describes the processes involved in erosion of ductile materials, brittle materials, and elastomers. Some examples of erosive wear failures are given on abrasive erosion, liquid impingement erosion, cavitation, and erosion-corrosion. In addition, the article provides information on the selection of materials for applications in which erosive wear failures can occur.

Corrosive wear is defined as surface damage caused by wear in a corrosive environment, involving combined attacks from wear and corrosion. This article begins with a discussion on several typical forms of corrosive wear encountered in industry, followed by a discussion on mechanisms for corrosive wear. Next, the article explains testing methods and characterization of corrosive wear. Various factors that influence corrosive wear are then covered. The article concludes with general guidelines for material selection against corrosive wear.

This article considers the main characteristics of wear mechanisms and how they can be identified. Some identification examples are reported, with the warning that this task can be difficult because of the presence of disturbing factors such as contaminants or possible additional damage of the worn products after the tribological process. Then, the article describes some examples of wear processes, considering possible transitions and/or interactions of the mechanism of fretting wear, rolling-sliding wear, abrasive wear, and solid-particle erosion wear. The role of tribological parameters on the material response is presented using the wear map concept, which is very useful and informative in several respects. The article concludes with guidelines for the selection of suitable surface treatments to avoid wear failures.

The carbon steel feedwater piping at a waste-to-energy plant was suffering from wall thinning and leaking after being in service for approximately six years. Metallographic examination of ring sections removed front the piping revealed a normal microstructure consisting of pearlite and ferrite. However, the internal surface on the thicker regions of the rings exhibited significant deposit buildup, where the thinned regions showed none. No significant corrosion or pitting was observed on either the internal or external surface of the piping. The lack of internal deposits on the affected areas and the evidence of flow patterns indicated that the wall thinning and subsequent failure were caused by internal erosion damage. The exact cause of the erosion could not be determined by the appearance of the piping. Probable causes of the erosion include an excessively high velocity flow through the piping, extremely turbulent flow, and/or intrusions (weld backing rings or weld bead protrusions) on the internal surface of the pipes. Increasing the pipe diameter and decreasing the intrusions on the internal surface would help to eliminate the problem.

This article describes the preliminary stages and general procedures, techniques, and precautions employed in the investigation and analysis of metallurgical failures that occur in service. The most common causes of failure characteristics are described for fracture, corrosion, and wear failures. The article provides information on the synthesis and interpretation of results from the investigation. Finally, it presents key guidelines for conducting a failure analysis.

This article focuses on the types of activities required for the resolution of wear problems. These include examining and characterizing the tribosystem; characterizing and modeling the wear process; obtaining and evaluating wear data; and evaluating and verifying the solution.