Scaling Laws of Wear by Slurry Abrasion of Mild Steel

Abstract

Wear by slurry abrasion is very expansive problem that must be taken into consideration while selecting the material for the transportation of slurry through pipeline. Abrasive wear generally occurs when abrasive slurries come in contact with the industrial engineering components or slurry transporting pipes. The abrasive particles carried by slurries eventually remove the material from the encountering surfaces which results in the early failure of the component in service. In present investigation an attempt is made to study the effect of load, slurry concentration, sliding distance on the abrasive wear behaviour of mild steel. The slurry abrasion experiments were carried out using slurry abrasion test apparatus with silica sand slurry. The findings of the present investigation indicate that slurry abrasion volume increased with slurry concentration, load and sliding distance, although the magnitude of increase was different in each case. The SEM observation of worn out surfaces revealed micro ploughing and micro cutting as wear mechanisms.