Ultrasonic Cavitation Behavior and its Degradation Mechanism of Epoxy Coatings in 3.5 % NaCl at 15 oC

Pipes operating in the seawater environment faces cavitation degradation and corrosion of the metallic component, as well as a negative synergistic effect. Cavitation degradation shows the mechanism by which materials deteriorate by causing rapid change of pressure or high-frequency vibration in the solution, and introducing the formation and explosion of bubbles. In order to rate the cavitation resistance of materials, constant conditions have been used. However, while a dynamic cavitation condition can be generated in a real system, there has been little reported on the effect of ultrasonic amplitude on the cavitation resistance and mechanism of composites. In this work, 3 kinds of epoxy coatings were used, and the cavitation resistance of the epoxy coatings was evaluated in 3.5% NaCl at 15 oC using an indirect ultrasonic cavitation method. Eleven kinds of mechanical properties were obtained, namely compressive strength, flexural strength and modulus, tensile strength and elongation, Shore D hardness, water absorptivity, impact test, wear test for coating only and pull-off strength for epoxy coating/carbon steel or epoxy coating/rubber/carbon steel. The cavitation erosion mechanism of epoxy coatings was discussed on the basis of the mechanical properties and the effect of ultrasonic amplitude on the degradation of coatings.