Effect of microparticle properties on erosion in solid-steam mixtures

Abstract

Based on a custom-built experimental apparatus, irregular microparticles of different sizes and microparticles of the same size but of different shape were added to wet steam, and erosion experiments were performed on polished medium carbon steel specimens. After the experiments, the eroded surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and the degree of damage was evaluated by area loss. The results indicated that microparticle size significantly affects the degree of erosion damage. With an increase in size, variations in the method of damage mainly cause different degrees of damage on an eroded surface. Microparticle shape hardly affects the number of craters. Compared with spherical microparticles, irregular microparticles cause indentations more easily and result in more severe abrasion on the material's surface.