Low angle scouring erosion behaviour of elastomeric materials

Elastomers are a particularly important class of material, finding increasing utilization in applications such as piping and tubular components; pumps; valves and cyclones; where considerable resistance to low angle scouring erosion is critical. Assessment of elastomers at impingement angles >10° has been readily available using various slurry jet devices, however, there is a clear need for a suitable method for evaluating these materials under conditions of high velocity, low angle (<10°) impingement. Based on this requirement, a new specimen holder was developed for the Coriolis slurry erosion tester. This rig has previously been shown to provide a convenient and repeatable method for evaluating the scouring erosion resistance of a variety of hard materials [1]; however, until recently the capability to assess elastomeric materials was hindered by the distortion of specimens when the holding force was applied. The new holder alleviates this problem and ensures improved control of the slurry flow over the specimen surface thus producing consistent and reproducible erosion scars, which can be used for determining the expected wear of elastomers under conditions of low angle erosion. The current work examines the scouring erosion resistance and mechanisms of material removal for selected elastomers and compares data with that of various white irons, steels, cermets and overlays. The influence of erodent type on the resulting wear mechanisms has also been examined. Results have enabled correlations to be made between scouring erosion attack resistance, hardness and material type.