Erosion-corrosion and wear (*)

Abstract.- The basic processes of wear, erosion and erosion-corrosion are reviewed. It is shown that oxide debris can accelerate wear when it is present as particulates, or protect and reduce friction when it is present as a glaze. Erosion-corrosion processes can be understood and organized in a series of regimes that represent a sequence of change in the relative intensities of erosive and corrosive processes. Types of mechanism expected to feature in oxide spallation and in the erosion-corrosion of alloys are described and, finally, the areas that require serious study in order to achieve further understanding of this subject are indicated. 1. Introduction. Although a good understanding exists of the mechanisms of the high temperature oxidation and hot corrosion of metals, the effects of mechanical influences on high temperature attack, which usually results in enhanced degradation, are far from completely understood. Substan-tial progress has been made towards understanding the mechanisms of erosion-corrosion o