An Experimental Study of Valve Seat Material Galling Characteristics in Waterworks

Environmental contamination creates shortages of potable water. In such situations, the leakage of water due to breakage or aging of rubber valve seats is a serious problem. Rubber is apt to break when it is placed between two materials that contact each other. One way to avoid water leakage due to rubber damage and breakdown is to replace the rubber with metal, which is currently taking place in water distribution systems. In tribology, a severe form of wear is characterized by local macroscopic material transfer or removal, or by problems with sliding protrusions when two solid surfaces experience relative sliding under load. One of the major problems when metal slides is the occurrence of galling. Experimentally, various conditions influence incipient galling, such as hardness, surface roughness, temperature, load, velocity, and the external environment. This study sought to verify the galling tendencies of metal according to its hardness, surface roughness, load, and sliding velocity, and determine the quantitative effect of each factor on the galling tendencies.