Erosive wear of filled vinylester composites in water and acidic media at elevated temperature

Due to their good corrosion properties, fibre reinforced polymer composites are often used instead of metals for example in hydrometallurgical processes. However, the erosion performance of polymer composites is rather poor when compared to metals. This study focused on the effect of mineral fillers on the erosion performance of vinylester composites. The erosion rates were tested both in water and in acidic environments at high temperature. To improve the erosion performance of the filled composites in these environments, to increase the filler particle hardness was an effective method. Within similar filler materials, better adhesion to the matrix improved the erosion performance, regardless if it was achieved by adhesion promoters or better mechanical interlocking. The hardness of the matrix was found to be disadvantageous for filled composites, although for pure vinylesters higher hardness decreased erosion rate. At the high service temperature, softer matrix accommodated more deformations and better absorption of energy of the impacting erosive particles. Consequently, improved adherence of the filler particles into the matrix and slower erosion rate was observed.