Biomimetic composite structural water hydraulic valve plug for erosive wear resistance based on additive manufacturing processes

Developing materials with good erosive wear properties has broad prospects and economic benefits, especially in the field of water hydraulic system. By studying key information in the online biological strategy library-AskNature, we were able to identify strategies for improving the erosive wear resistance of materials. Specifically, we developed a biomimetic composite structural valve plug (BCSVP) with erosive wear resistance based on the multi-scale observation of shellfish, realized through additive manufacturing (AM). The phase composition and microstructure were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The erosive wear resistance was evaluated by morphology observation and slurry erosive wear experiments. The results of these experiments indicate that the BCSVP exhibited a 26.3% higher volumetric erosive wear resistance than a 3D printed 316L stainless steel valve after 7 h of slurry erosive wear. This interdisciplinary research highlights the potential of BCSVP in applications requiring high slurry erosive wear resistance in water hydraulic applications.