The effect of compressive stress on cavitation-erosion corrosion behavior of 304 stainless steel.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the effect of compressive stress on cavitation-erosion corrosion behavior of 304 stainless steel. Design/methodology/approach: Compressive stresses of 60 MPa and 120 MPa were applied to 304 stainless steel through a self-designed loading device, and cavitation erosion-corrosion tests were performed using an ultrasonically vibratory apparatus. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the microstructure evolution, and corrosion behavior was studied by electrochemical analysis. Findings: The cavitation weight loss of 304 stainless steel decreased with the compressive stress. After cavitation corroded for 8 h, the weight loss for the specimen with 120 MPa compressive stress was 5.11 mg/cm2, which was reduced by 56.7% from that of the specimen without loading stress (11.79 mg/cm2). The reason can be attributed to that compressive stress promoted the deformation-induced martensitic transformation during the cavitation process, which could not only provide a cushioning effect by absorbing cavitation impact energy but also improve the hardness of 304 stainless steel. Originality/value: Compressive stress was found to restrain the cavitation damage on 304 stainless steel, and the corresponding mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]