Structural sensitivity of steels to corrosion-mechanical fracture under conditions of fatigue and cavitation

We present experimental estimates of the resistance of 30KhGSNA steel after heat treatment in various modes to corrosive-erosive wear in inhibited water. We established the existence of threshold amplitudes under cavitation, below which wear of the steel is not observed. They vary more significantly in the case of inhibiting the medium than owing to a change in the steel structure from perlite to martensite. We compared the results obtained with the literature data concerning the structural sensitivity of the steel under study to corrosion fatigue in the range of high- and low-amplitude loading. We conclude that corrosive-erosive fracture is controlled by the process of initiation and growth of short corrosion cracks.