Prédiction du taux d'érosion de cavitation des matériaux ductiles

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This paper is devoted to the presentation of a method of prediction of cavitation erosion applicable to ductile materials. It is based upon a physical analysis of the work-hardening process within the material which is characterized by two main metallurgical parameters : the depth of hardened layer and the shape factor of the strain profile. The flow aggressiveness is characterized by a distribution of impact loads deduced from pitting tests of short duration. This distribution is applied randomly andrepetitively on the material surface to compute the erosion rate versus the time exposure. In order to validate this approach, mass loss tests are carried out on an experimental device named cavermod for which each shot causes the collapse of a cavitating vortex.