Increasing the Resistance to Cavitation Erosion of 6082 Aluminum Alloys through Thermal Aging Treatments at 140°C and Holding Time of 12 Hours

Abstract

The use of aluminum alloys in the manufacture of hydropneumatic systems components is very known. However, the knowledge of their behavior under cavitational demands, determinated of flow of the working liquid, is limited. For this reason, in recent years, the older research, carried out on this type of material and on some of its alloys, regarding the resistance to cavity erosion, has been resumed, especially since the mechanical properties and reduced mass are an advantage for the parts that work in this conditions (ship propellers, pumps and bodies of hydraulic devices, etc.). Therefore, the results of this paper are in step with the new researches, highlighting the behavior and resistance to the erosion produced by vibrating cavitation on the aluminum alloy 6082 subjected to the thermal aging treatment at 140 °C, with a holding time of 12 hours. The performance evaluation is based on the characteristic curves of the cavity, the specific parameters and the macro and microstructural investigations. The comparison with the delivered state shows a double increase in resistance from the cavitational erosion created by the shock waves and microjets.