Low strain hardening enables improved water droplet erosion performance through deep rolling

The present work investigates the role of deep rolling surface treatment on the water droplet erosion behavior of 17–4 PH stainless steel. Standard heat treatments were first applied to samples of 17–4 PH stainless steel to achieve three states, solution treated and two different aging conditions. The mechanical properties of these conditions were determined using hardness and tensile tests. Then, deep rolling surface treatments were applied to the various conditions of the 17–4 PH. Water droplet erosion tests were subsequently performed at impact velocities of 250 m/s and 300 m/s, and the erosion performance in terms of incubation period and maximum erosion rate before and after the deep rolling treatment is compared. It was found that deep rolled samples exhibited considerably longer incubation periods compared to only heat-treated samples. The improvement in erosion resistance of the 17–4 PH stainless steel is attributed to its lower strain hardening exponent values, which reduces embrittlement that is usually associated with the work hardening due to deep rolling. Hence, it is concluded that low strain hardening exponent is essential to the effectiveness and success of mechanical surface treatments to combat water droplet erosion.