Influence of grain orientation on the local deformation mode induced by cavitation erosion in a CuSnNi alloy

The local deformation induced by vibratory cavitation erosion in a CuSnNi alloy was studied employing electron back-scattering diffraction and three-dimensional profiling. The study focused on evaluating initial plastic deformation corresponding to a group of 57 grains in order to correlate crystal orientation and local deformation morphologies. While detectable slip markings developed in grains oriented close to the 〈111〉 and 〈101〉 crystallographic directions during the incubation phase of the cavitation test, grains oriented close to 〈001〉 exhibited no visible slip markings and extensive formation of craters and hills. Furthermore, an analysis based on the average Schmid factors calculated for each grain satisfactorily reflects the transition for the mentioned deformation modes. The quantitative evaluation of the Schmid factor for all slip systems suggests a novel interpretation of the degradation phenomena observed in face-centered cubic materials exposed to a cavitating liquid.