Investigating Polymeric Elastomers for Cavitation and Erosion Resistance

Cavitation and erosion damage are observed on water infrastructure. Mitigating degradation on mild steel traditionally includes stainless-steel weld overlays, which create a galvanic corrosion cell in immersion conditions. This can cause delamination of the stainless steel and subsequent loss of cavitation or erosion protection. Elastomeric coatings could be combined with stainless steel weld overlays to eliminate the galvanic corrosion cell, thus protecting and extending the service life of the repairs. This article finds that elastomers provide better cavitation and erosion resistance than ceramic-filled epoxies.