Abstract
A modified 20-kc ultrasonic drill unit has been found to be highly suitable for determining the relative rates of erosion of metals exposed to cavitation in water to an accuracy of about ±12 per cent. With 5/8-in.-diameter specimens at an amplitude of 0.002 in. (peak-to-peak) in water at 20 C, all materials tested eroded at a fairly steady rate after 5 mm3 had been removed, this rate being maintained until 10 mm3 were eroded. Twenty-four steels and four nonferrous metals were tested under standard conditions, and an attempt has been made to correlate their erosion resistance with the various forms of strain energy derived from tension tests on the same materials. The best correlation was obtained with the “ultimate resilience” (that is, the limiting strain energy beyond the elastic limit), expressed as 1/2-(tensile strength)/elastic modulus.

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