Stainless steel hydraulic turbine cavitation damaging: in-situ monitoring of cracks development by X-ray tomography

The suggested experiments aims to understand the cracking mechanisms occurring in stainless steel due to cavitation erosion using X-ray tomography in the framework of hydroelectric energy. Cavitation erosion is the one of the main damaging mode occurring on hydroelectric turbines. Understanding the cracking mechanisms, using ERSF beamline, is hence a strategic concern within the scope of energetic transition. The objective of the proposed experiment is to explore the unknown relation between microstructural parameters and damages mechanisms during cavitation erosion with a strong focus on kinetic phenomena. In this project, we will take advantage of the unique combination of high energy, coherency, spatial resolution and flux available at ID19 for revealing complex phenomena: 3d-microstructure and bulk stress field. The initiation and propagation of cracks within the different phases will be monitored in-situ using a unique homemade apparatus.