Effect of corrosion on abrasive wear in a range of materials

Engineering components, such as those which are employed in fluid sealing systems, experience abrasive wear deterioration, which is often significantly enhanced by corrosion processes and the interaction of corrosion with the mechanical damage. Broader understanding and quantification of the corrosive abrasion is appropriate to combat this complex degradation phenomenon. This paper discusses the influence of corrosion on abrasive wear and utilises a recently developed experimental technique which enables the quantification of corrosive abrasion damage of materials subjected to impingement by a saline aqueous solution containing suspended sand particles. The materials reviewed in this study were Zirconia, a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Coating, High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) WC-12Co, HVOF WC-10Ni, medium carbon steel (UNS G10400) and martensitic stainless steel (UNS S42000). UNS S31600 was used as a comparator material. The influence of acidic conditions was also investigated on the tribo-corrosion resistance of the martensitic stainless steel. Volume loss ratios, microscopy and surface roughness measurements were employed to expand the assessment of corrosion abrasion damage. The ceramic (Zirconia and DLC coating) and cermet (HVOF WC-12Co and HVOF WC-10Ni) materials exhibited excellent abrasion resistance, however, the cermets suffered extensively from corrosion related damage. The engineering steels, on the other hand, were extensively attacked by corrosion abrasion wear. Through this comparative study, material considerations, associated with the different mechanisms that occur in fluid seals, were also formulated.