Corrosion-erosion wear of N80 carbon steel and 316L stainless steel in saline-quartz slurry

The corrosion-erosion behavior of carbon steel N80 and austenitic stainless 316L are investigated both in water-quartz slurry and saline-quartz slurry. The sample mass losses after each test and the roughness of sample surfaces are measured and a potentiostat is used to gain the polarization curves. The worn surfaces and the corrosion-erosion wear mechanism are analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 3D ultra-deep microscopy. Results show that the R(a) for N80 is much larger than 316L under the same experimental condition, and the weight losses of the two materials show a similar trend except for tests with higher impact angles. The lowest R(sm) for 316L matches along with the highest R(sm) for N80 at the 45 min testing time. According to the obtained results of the corrosion-erosion mechanism of the N80 and 316L based on the SEM and 3D ultra-deep microscopy, the conclusion is drawn that the ploughing and crashing are the major mechanisms for the forming of surface morphologies and the mass removal. Different impact angles and materials affect the corrosion-erosion process to some extent.