Cavitation Erosion and Erosion-Corrosion Behaviors of Copper Alloys for Marine Propellers in 3.5% NaCl Solution

The cavitation and erosion behaviors of three copper alloys for ship propellers, namely manganese brass, manganese aluminum bronze and nickel aluminum bronze, in a simulated marine environment were compared and analyzed using ultrasonically vibrating device, rotating disk and jet erosion test device. The results showed that the anti-cavitation and erosion properties of the three materials were nickel-aluminum bronze, manganese-aluminum bronze and manganese brass in descending order. β-phase cleavage fracture occurred in manganese brass during the cavitation erosion process, and large and deep cavitation pits appeared, and the erosion mass loss of manganese brass was the highest. The erosion morphology of the three materials were similar, but the surface of manganese brass showed deeper grooves and sand impact craters. After the jet erosion test, the surface damage morphology of the three copper alloys was W-shaped, and the area near the nozzle was subjected to both normal stress and shear stress, and the erosion was the most serious.