Abstract
A number of Ti-based alloys in both the mill-annealed and 20% cold-worked conditions were subjected to sonication conditions in Hg using a vibratory horn to assess relative cavitation-erosion resistance. Weight loss as a function of exposure time was roughly proportional to hardness for all alloys/conditions examined, with Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-Grade 5) and Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo yielding the best resistance to cavitation-erosion as evidenced by low weight losses and little
or no tendency to form pits on the exposed surface. Unalloyed Ti (Ti-Grade 4) and Ti-0.12Pd (Ti-Grade 7) exhibited greater weight losses by a factor or about two and about five, respectively, with Ti-0.12Pd particularly prone to pitting development. The mean erosion rates of the best two Ti-alloys examined here were about a factor of three higher than identically tested 316LN stainless steel following a low temperature carburizing treatment, but this difference is considered minor given that the rate for both materials is very low/manageable and represents a through-thickness property for the Ti-alloys. A nitriding surface treatment was also evaluated as a potential method to further increase the cavitation-erosion resistance of these alloys in Hg, but the selected treatment proved largely ineffective. Recommendations for further work to evaluate the efficacy of Ti-based alloys for use in high-powered targets for the Spallation Neutron Source are given.