Effect of Microstructure and Hardness on Cavitation Erosion and Dry Sliding Wear of HVOF Deposited CoNiCrAlY, NiCoCrAlY and NiCrMoNbTa Coatings

Metallic coatings based on cobalt and nickel are promising for elongating the life span of machine components operated in harsh environments. However, reports regarding the ambient temperature tribological performance and cavitation erosion resistance of popular MCrAlY (where M = Co, Ni or Co/Ni) and NiCrMoNbTa coatings are scant. This study comparatively investigates the effects of microstructure and hardness of HVOF deposited CoNiCrAlY, NiCoCrAlY and NiCrMoNbTa coatings on tribological and cavitation erosion performance. The cavitation erosion test was conducted using the vibratory method following the ASTM G32 standard. The tribological examination was done using a ball-on-disc tribometer. Analysis of the chemical composition, microstructure, phase composition and hardness reveal the dry sliding wear and cavitation erosion mechanisms. Coatings present increasing resistance to both sliding wear and cavitation erosion in the following order: NiCoCrAlY < CoNiCrAlY < NiCrMoNbTa. The tribological behaviour of coatings relies on abrasive grooving and oxidation of the wear products. In the case of NiCrMoNbTa coatings, abrasion is followed by the severe adhesive smearing of oxidised wear products which end in the lowest coefficient of friction and wear rate. Cavitation erosion is initiated at microstructure discontinuities and ends with severe surface pitting. CoNiCrAlY and NiCoCrAlY coatings present semi brittle behavior, whereas NiCrMoNbTa presents ductile mode and lesser surface pitting, which improves its anti-cavitation performance. The differences in microstructure of investigated coatings affect the wear and cavitation erosion performance more than the hardness itself.

Geologic Controls on Erosion Mechanism on the Alaska Beaufort Coast

Two prominent arctic coastal erosion mechanisms affect the coastal bluffs along the North Slope of Alaska. These include the niche erosion/block collapse mechanism and the bluff face thaw/slump mechanism. The niche erosion/block collapse erosion mechanism is dominant where there are few coarse sediments in the coastal bluffs, the elevation of the beach below the bluff is low, and there is frequent contact between the sea and the base of the bluff. In contrast, the bluff face thaw/slump mechanism is dominant where significant amounts of coarse sediment are present, the elevation of the beach is high, and contact between the sea and the bluff is infrequent. We show that a single geologic parameter, coarse sediment areal density, is predictive of the dominant erosion mechanism and is somewhat predictive of coastal erosion rates. The coarse sediment areal density is the dry mass (g) of coarse sediment (sand and gravel) per horizontal area (cm2) in the coastal bluff. It accounts for bluff height and the density of coarse material in the bluff. When the areal density exceeds 120 g cm−2, the bluff face thaw/slump mechanism is dominant. When the areal density is below 80 g cm−2, niche erosion/block collapse is dominant. Coarse sediment areal density also controls the coastal erosion rate to some extent. For the sites studied and using erosion rates for the 1980–2000 period, when the sediment areal density exceeds 120 g cm−2, the average erosion rate is low or 0.34 ± 0.92 m/yr. For sediment areal density values less than 80 g cm−2, the average erosion rate is higher or 2.1 ± 1.5 m/yr.

EFFECT OF MIG WELDING PROCESS PARAMETERS ON EROSION AND CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF ASTM A106 GRADE-B PIPE WELDMENTS

Evaluating the integrity of the welded pipes used for fluid transportation in processing industries demands certain investigations on the erosion and corrosion behavior under various environmental conditions. ASTM A106 Grade-B pipes are butt welded using an automated MIG welding setup to obtain the optimum output response such as Reinforcement Form Factor (W1), Penetration Shape Factor (W2), and Tensile Strength (W3) in the weldments. The slurry erosion test is conducted on the weldment surface by varying the velocity and erodent concentration in acidic (0.1M H2SO[Formula: see text] and alkaline (3.5%[Formula: see text]wt. NaCl) conditions. Correspondingly, the samples are subjected to electrochemical corrosion test in 0.1[Formula: see text]M H2SO4 and 3.5% wt. NaCl solutions. The SEM investigations carried out on the eroded weldment surface show glimpses of erosion mechanisms such as shallow and deep ploughing, oxide cracks, ridges and valleys, scale formation at some areas attributing to sulphide deposition. The corrosion that occurred on the weldment surface tested under acidic conditions is relatively high compared to the alkaline conditions. The reinforcement form factor is the most preferable weld bead characteristic to obtain better erosion and corrosion resistant weldments in the investigated pipe material.

Challenges Related to Pipeline Free Spans in Watercourse Crossings

Free span assessment in watercourse crossings for the on-shore pipeline industry has become a more and more important part of pipeline integrity practice. One reason is that it has become increasingly well known that the dominant cause of pipeline failures in watercourse crossings is fatigue failure due to vortex induced vibrations at pipeline free spans. Recognition of this is now being identified in industry recommended practices and owners are incorporating this type of assessment into their pipeline integrity management practice. On shore pipelines are not designed with an allowable free span as is the practice with off-shore pipelines, but are buried. Design codes specify minimum depths of cover when constructed and indicate that pipelines should be maintained so that no excessive loads occur. In the past the no excessive loads requirement has been interpreted that the pipeline must remained buried. As experience from the off-shore environment and increasingly from experience on-shore has shown that most exposed and/or free spans do not fail. Due to various river erosion mechanisms; scour, bank erosion or avulsion, previously buried pipelines do develop free spans. Some of the free spans fail and release products directly into the watercourse. Failures, particularly for liquid products, are very expensive due to the economic loss, repair costs and environment clean-up of the watercourse and its banks. Similarly, costs associated with pipeline replacement for free spanning pipelines or repair of pipelines that might develop free spans are relatively high. It is important to develop an understanding of the probability of the pipeline failing due to a free span, or put another way, determine which free span is a threat to integrity. This paper discusses some of the challenges with assessing free spans in watercourse crossings as part of integrity programs and highlights experiences in assessing this threat to integrity. The objective of this paper is to discuss some of the key uncertainties related to the management of the threat due to free spans. These uncertainties are due to the reliability of information about the free span, water velocity and condition of the pipelines.

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Single And Multiple Imapcts Of Angular particles On Ductile Metals

Solid particle erosion occurs when small high speed particles impact surfaces. It can be either destructive such as in the erosion of oil pipelines by corrosion byproducts, or constructive such as in abrasive jet machining processes. Two dimensional finite element (FE) models of single rhomboid particles impact on a copper target were developed using two different techniques to deal with the problem of element distortion: (i) element deletion, and (ii) remeshing. It was found that the chip formation and the material pile-up, two phenomena that cannot be simulated using a previously developed rigid-plastic model, could be simulated using the FE models, resulting in a good agreement with experiments performed using a gas gun. However, remeshing in conjunction with a failure model caused numerical instabilities. The element deletion approach also induced errors in mass loss due to the removal of distorted elements. To address the limitations of the FE approach, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) which can better accommodate large deformations, was used in the simulation of the impact of single rhomboid particles on an aluminum alloy target. With appropriate constitutive and failure parameters, SPH was demonstrated to be suitable for simulating all of the relevant damage phenomena observed during impact experiments. A new methodology was developed for generating realistic three dimensional particle geometries based on measurements of the size and shape parameter distributions for a sample of 150 µm nominal diameter angular aluminum oxide powder. The FE models of these generated particles were implemented in a SPH/FE model to simulate non-overlapping particle impacts. It was shown that the simulated particles produced distributions of crater and crater lip dimensions that agreed well with those measured from particle blasting experiments. Finally, a numerical model for simulating overlapping impacts of angular particles was developed and compared to experimental multi-particle erosion tests, with good agreement. An investigation of the simulated trajectory of the impacting particles revealed various erosion mechanisms such as the micromachining of chips, the ploughing of craters, and the formation, forging and knocking off crater lips which were consistent with previously noted ductile solid particle erosion mechanisms in the literature.

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Single And Multiple Imapcts Of Angular particles On Ductile Metals

Solid particle erosion occurs when small high speed particles impact surfaces. It can be either destructive such as in the erosion of oil pipelines by corrosion byproducts, or constructive such as in abrasive jet machining processes. Two dimensional finite element (FE) models of single rhomboid particles impact on a copper target were developed using two different techniques to deal with the problem of element distortion: (i) element deletion, and (ii) remeshing. It was found that the chip formation and the material pile-up, two phenomena that cannot be simulated using a previously developed rigid-plastic model, could be simulated using the FE models, resulting in a good agreement with experiments performed using a gas gun. However, remeshing in conjunction with a failure model caused numerical instabilities. The element deletion approach also induced errors in mass loss due to the removal of distorted elements. To address the limitations of the FE approach, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) which can better accommodate large deformations, was used in the simulation of the impact of single rhomboid particles on an aluminum alloy target. With appropriate constitutive and failure parameters, SPH was demonstrated to be suitable for simulating all of the relevant damage phenomena observed during impact experiments. A new methodology was developed for generating realistic three dimensional particle geometries based on measurements of the size and shape parameter distributions for a sample of 150 µm nominal diameter angular aluminum oxide powder. The FE models of these generated particles were implemented in a SPH/FE model to simulate non-overlapping particle impacts. It was shown that the simulated particles produced distributions of crater and crater lip dimensions that agreed well with those measured from particle blasting experiments. Finally, a numerical model for simulating overlapping impacts of angular particles was developed and compared to experimental multi-particle erosion tests, with good agreement. An investigation of the simulated trajectory of the impacting particles revealed various erosion mechanisms such as the micromachining of chips, the ploughing of craters, and the formation, forging and knocking off crater lips which were consistent with previously noted ductile solid particle erosion mechanisms in the literature.