Cavitation erosion behavior of nickel foam/polyurethane co-continuous composite

Abstract

Abstract The cavitation erosion behavior of Ni foam/polyurethane (PU) co-continuous composites under different experimental conditions was investigated using an ultrasonic vibration cavitation erosion device. Experimental results showed that the Ni foam metal skeleton structure had severe effects on the cavitation resistance of the composites. The composites with thick metal arris and large pore size exhibited good resistance to cavitation erosion. Stress waves had greater influence on the cavitation erosion behavior of composites than micro-jets. In a synergistic way of buffering stress wave in the resin phase and absorbing stress waves in the metal phase, the composites could exhibit better cavitation resistance than pure PU.