What is erosive wear?
Erosive wear is caused by the impact of solid particles or liquid against the surface of an object. This gradually removes material from the surface. nC² has the facilities to simulate both ordinary types of erosive wear: through sand in water or in air.
Slurry Erosion Test
In our water-sand (slurry jet) erosion test method, we mix sand with water before firing it through a nozzle onto the surface of a material. The specimens are subjected to the conditions for a set time and the wear rate is determined by weight loss, 2D contact or 3D non contact profilometry, and microscopy. The results can be used to rank materials or coatings for the resistance to erosion with the conditions tailored to suit your specific requirements.
JB testing on the slurry erosion rig
The Erosion Chamber
Typical test conditions
- Slurry type: Either with normal water or 3.5% NaCl
- Slurry flow rate: 2.5 ± 0.1 m3/hr
- Jet velocity: 25 ± 1 m/s
- Slurry concentration: ~2.1% w/w
- Nozzle size: 6 mm
- Test duration (water-sand): 120 mins
- Sand size: 181 – 251 μm typical
- Test angles: 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°
- Specimen size 50 x 50 x 5 mm
Air Sand Erosion Test
The air-sand erosion test method, which conforms to ASTM-G76, involves adding dry sand to a fast-moving dry air stream and accelerating it down a tube onto a test piece. Typical test conditions are described below and can be tailored to suit your requirements.
Typical test conditions
- Jet/Particle speed: up to 240 ± 20 m/s
- Particle feed rate: 10 ± 0.5 g/min
- Sand feed-rate: 10 g/min
- Test duration: variable but typically 30 min
- Particle size: 69 – 251 μm (181 – 251 μm typical)
- Test temperature: ambient and sub-zero
- Test angles: 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°
- Specimen size 50 x 50 x 5 mm
JB carrying out a sand Erosion test
Post test analysis
All our tests are repeated three to five times for consistency, and all the samples are weighed before and after exposure to calculate mass loss. If we know material density, we can determine volume loss. We can also use 2D and 3D profilometry equipment to measure volume loss directly.
3D image of wear scar
