Deformation processes during cavitation damage of ferritic-pearlitic steel

We establish on the basis of measurements of microhardness that the processes of hardening and softening proceed by stages in the structural components of ferritic-pearlitic steel subjected to the cavitation action of liquid media. The resulting level of H-mu shows which of the processes is dominant in a given structural component. As a result, pearlite softens, while ferrite hardens. The scatter of the measured values of H-mu reflects the nonuniformity and localization of plastic strain in the surface layer of steel. Deformation processes are accompanied by structural changes, namely, by degradation of pearlite grains. The rate of corrosion-erosion damage correlates with the final value of microhardness rather than with its initial value.