Experimental, Analytical, and Numerical Analyses of Slurry Erosion Resistance of Austenitic 1.4301 Stainless Steel

Abstract The degradation of 1.4301 (AISI 304, X5CrNi18-10) stainless steel with two different impact angles (30 deg and 90 deg) has been investigated using a slurry pot tester. Spherical solid particles were used in the experiment. The impact angle significantly influenced the erosion resistance of 1.4301 steel. Tests conducted at an impact angle of 30 deg showed a higher erosion rate of approximately 91%. The test results showed that with a normal impact angle, the final and subsurface hardness were higher. Numerical analyses of contact stresses were carried out based on Hertz's theory. The calculation results were compared with the simulation results, showing a low error level (0.70–4.63%), depending on the analyzed parameter, i.e., Hertzian stress or maximum shear stress. The numerical results confirm the significant dependence of the erosion resistance on the impact angle. It has been found that the tallest peak height decreased with increasing hardness and impact angle. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that after the erosion tests, indentations, craters, microcutting, and microploughing were observed.