Effect of Liquid Temperature on Surface and Mechanical Characteristics of Al-Mg Alloy Treated with a Cavitating Waterjet

The presented study aims to reveal the effect of liquid temperature on cavitation-induced erosion of an Al-Mg alloy. An experimental work was conducted using a submerged cavitating waterjet to impact the specimen surface. For a certain cavitation number and a given standoff distance, different liquid temperatures were considered. Accordingly, a comprehensive comparison was implemented by inspecting the mass loss and surface morphology of the tested specimens. The results show that the cumulative mass loss increases continuously with the liquid temperature. A cavitation zone with an irregular profile becomes evident as the cavitation treatment proceeds. Increasing the temperature promotes the generation of cavitation bubbles. Large erosion pits are induced after severe material removal. The microhardness increases with the distance from the target surface. At a liquid temperature of 50°C, the microhardness fluctuates apparently with increasing the depth of indentation.