Cavitation erosion is a significant problem in the operation of hydroturbines. Although austenitic stainless steels of the 308/309 type are used extensively to combat this type of wear, they do not possess the enhanced resistance to cavitation shown by materials (1) such as cobalt based alloys (Stellite~circle R 21). However, cobalt based alloys are significantly more expensive than the austenitic materials. In this work, the invention of a stainless steel that has cavitation resistance equal to or better than that of the cobalt based materials combined with good weldability and application ease is described.
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