Wet erosion damage of Cr3C2/Al2O3 composite

Abstract

This study focused on investigating the role of interfacial microcracking of injection-molded Cr3C2/Al2O3 composite on the erosion mechanism under an impingement erosion test rig. The surface residual strain (stresses) as well as damage were compared in both airborne and wet erosion. The delays in crack propagation at interfacial or triple points and the crack direction changes were frequently observed in the composite. Spontaneous microcracking induced from sintering process, due to thermal expansion mismatch between alumina and chromium carbide, played a key role in erosion mechanism.