Wear occurring at metallic surfaces as a result of cavitation causing vapour bubbles to form and collapse under certain conditions, with the surface of the material suffering mechanical stress if these collapse near or on the surface. The result is a greater or lesser loss of material, causing surfaces to develop craters (Figure K 3). The risk of cavitation erosion is much higher when water rather than mineral oils is used as the pressure fluid. Cavitation erosion is a form of particle jet erosion.
Figure K 3: Cavitation erosion