Cavitation behavior study of the aging heat treated aluminum alloy 7075

Abstract

Abstract Aluminium-based alloy type 7075 is known for its good ductility, high mechanical strength, toughness and high fatigue strength, which is why it is mainly used in the construction of dynamically stressed parts in the structure of airplanes, vehicles and ships. Although it has these qualities, at present its behavior has not been studied at the hydrodynamic stresses that allow it to be used in parts that work in cavitation conditions, such as pump rotors and boat propeller blades. Therefore, the research in this paper highlights the behavior of laminated semi-finished structures and obtained by heat treatment of artificial aging at 180°C, with a maintenance time of one hour. Of the 7075 alloy at the demands generated by the vibrating cavity, created by the standard vibrating device with piezoceramic crystals (frequency of 20 kHz, amplitude of 50 µm and electrical power of 500 W). Analysis based on the curves MDE (t) and MDER (t), of the specific parameters of cavitation erosion MDEmax and MDERs as well as of the macro and microscopic images of the eroded structures of cavitation show that, compared to the delivered state (semi-finished), by the heat treatment applied the microstructure does not change cavitation