Abstract: In the ultrasonic vibration cavitation erosion experiment, iridescent rings were observed around erosion pits on the stainless steel surface after one-minute test. Surface observations indicated that the zones within the iridescent rings experienced a tempering process at 300℃ or even higher. Here, the deformation process of the damaged surface was numerically simulated, and the heat released during this process was a possible way to form the iridescent rings. Also, the thermal conduction coefficient greatly affected the ring size.

Key words: cavitation erosion; thermal effect

Corresponding author: CHEN Hao-sheng, State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

E-mail: gehan@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn 

Tribology, Vol. 30, Issue 4, 2010, 328~332