Evaluation of erosion of AISI 1045 carbon steel due to non-cohesive microparticles

Erosion behavior of AISI 1045 carbon steel was investigated using slurry solutions with different viscosities (1 cP, 3 cP, and 8 cP) containing 5 wt% silica sand as erodent particles. Tests were carried out using a slurry pot apparatus with various rotational velocities and at three mounting angles (30°, 60°, and 90°). The qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed using the Taguchi design method, paint modeling, image processing, and microscopic imaging techniques. The results indicate that the erosion process in the slurry flow is significantly influenced by fluid viscosity. There is a notable decrease in erosion wear rate as fluid viscosity increases. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was conducted, concluding that viscosity and rotational speed are the significant factors influencing the weight loss of carbon steel. The results demonstrate that each factor has a major impact on the response; velocity (47.20 %) is the primary factor contributing to R, followed by viscosity (38.20 %). The erosive wear mechanism changed considerably with the variation in fluid viscosity and impact angles. As viscosity increases, the cutting and pitting erosion wear mechanism shift to sliding wear with the development of micro-perforation sites.