The effect of abrasive particle size on the slurry erosion resistance of particulate-reinforced aluminium alloy

The slurry erosion behaviour of alumina-particle-reinforced aluminium alloy was investigated for three different ranges of abrasive size: 106, 180—300 and 600 μm. The silica particles content of the slurry was 10 wt.% and the slurry velocity was maintained constant at 15 m s −1. The reinforcement helps to protect the surrounding matrix in shallow-impingement-angle conditions. For large impact angles the fine particles strongly deviate near the surface while the coarse particles have sufficient energy to cause the breakage of reinforcing particles. These basic mechanisms are discussed in parallel with the predicted trajectories of abrasive particles near the test surface.