Experimental research on water droplet erosion resistance characteristics of turbine blade substrate and strengthened layers materials

In this paper, the water droplet erosion (WDE) performance of typical martensitic precipitation substrate 0Cr17Ni4Cu4Nb in steam turbine final stage, laser solid solution strengthened sample, laser cladding sample and brazed stellite alloy samples have been studied based on a high-speed rotating waterjet test system. The WDE resistance of several materials from strong to weak is in sequence: Brazed stellite alloy > laser cladding sample > laser solid solution sample > martensitic substrate. Furthermore, the WDE resistance mechanism and the failure mode of brazed stellite alloy have been revealed. It is found that the hard carbide in the stellite alloy is the starting point of crack formation and propagation. Under the continuous droplet impact, cracks grow and connect into networks, resulting in the removal of carbide precipitates and WDE damage. It is proved that the properties of the Co-based material itself is the reason for its excellent WDE resistance. And the carbides have almost no positive contribution to its anti-erodibility. These new findings are of great significance to process methods and parameter selection of steam turbine blade materials and surface strengthened layers.