Assessment of End-of-Life Behavior of the Surface Modification to Improve Cavitation-Erosion Resistance in the Mercury Target at the Spallation Neutron Source

The cavitation-erosion resistance of the Kolsterised{reg_sign} layer on annealed or cold-worked substrates of 316LN stainless steel has been examined in mercury using a vibratory horn technique and extended exposure periods intended to expose 'end-of-life' performance characteristics. The Kolsterised{reg_sign} layer tends to remain protective--as evidenced by modest steady-state weight loss and surface roughness increases, only isolated pitting, and limited wetting by mercury--until the protective layer has been thinned by general erosion to about 15-20 {micro}m. Prior to that amount of erosion, the cavitation-erosion resistance of both types of specimens appears defined by the properties of the protective layer. However, after thinning to such a degree, initial breakdown of the protective layer is characterized by increases in both the surface roughness and the number/depth of individual pits across the surface at a rate that is strongly dependent on the substrate condition, with annealed substrates significantly more prone to damage. However, even as the protective properties of the Kolsterised{reg_sign} layer decrease, both weight change and profile development as a function of sonication time suggest a gradual reversion to cavitation-erosion behavior similar to that of untreated substrates.