Cavitation Erosion of Cermet-Coated Aluminium Bronzes

The cavitation erosion resistance of CuAl10Ni5Fe2.5Mn1 following plasma spraying with Al(2)O(3)·30(Ni(20)Al) powder and laser re-melting was analyzed in view of possible improvements of the lifetime of components used in hydraulic environments. The cavitation erosion resistance was substantially improved compared with the one of the base material. The thickness of the re-melted layer was in the range of several hundred micrometers, with a surface microhardness increasing from 250 to 420 HV 0.2. Compositional, structural, and microstructural explorations showed that the microstructure of the re-melted and homogenized layer, consisting of a cubic Al(2)O(3) matrix with dispersed Ni-based solid solution is associated with the hardness increase and consequently with the improvement of the cavitation erosion resistance.