Cavitation damage in liquid sodium by vibratory method, 2

Experiments on cavitation damage in liquid sodium were carried out by using the vibratory method, which is a common means in water tests. The purpose of this study is to obtain preliminary data to evaluate cavitation damage of primary or secondary components in LMFBRs. In this work the influences of the sodium temperature on cavitation damage were examined. The sodium temperature were ranged from 250 deg C up to 500 deg C. Test results are summarized as followings: (1) Propagation or constraint of damage depends upon the wetting between sodium and the surface of a test piece, and the flatness of the specimen. (2) Features of cavitation erosion are classified by differences of aforesaid factors, and the relationship between weight loss rates and the temperature in each group is distinguished from others. (3) It is predicted that erosion rates in sodium are 10 to 30 times larger than those in water in a certain condition. (author)