Particle-Based Numerical Simulation Study of Solid Particle Erosion of Ductile Materials Leading to an Erosion Model, Including the Particle Shape Effect

Solid particle erosion inevitably occurs if a gas–solid or liquid–solid mixture is in contact with a surface, e.g., in pneumatic conveyors. Having a good understanding of this complex phenomenon enables one to reduce the maintenance costs in several industrial applications by designing components that have longer lifetimes. In this paper, we propose a methodology to numerically investigate erosion behavior of ductile materials. We employ smoothed particle hydrodynamics that can easily deal with large deformations and fractures as a truly meshless method. In addition, a new contact model was developed in order to robustly handle contacts around sharp corners of the solid particles. The numerical predictions of erosion are compared with experiments for stainless steel AISI 304, showing that we are able to properly predict the erosion behavior as a function of impact angle. We present a powerful tool to conveniently study the effect of important parameters, such as solid particle shapes, which are not simple to study in experiments. Using the methodology, we study the effect of a solid particle shape and conclude that, in addition to angularity, aspect ratio also plays an important role by increasing the probability of the solid particles to rotate after impact. Finally, we are able to extend a widely used erosion model by a term that considers a solid particle shape.

Effect of erosive parameters on solid particle erosion of cotton fiber–based nonwoven mat/wooden dust reinforced hybrid polymer composites

Abrasive particle-induced erosive wear of polymeric engineering components is a major industrial issue. The research of solid particle erosion characteristics of polymeric composites becomes essential due to operational needs in dusty conditions. Nonwovens are now employed in industrial applications for polymeric composites. Nonwoven products are made from a wide range of raw materials, ranging from synthetic to natural fibers. This work finding the effect of nonwoven cotton fiber (5, 10, and 15 wt.%) loading on the physical, mechanical, and erosion wear of fixed wooden dust (4 wt.%) filled hybrid epoxy composites. Experimental results reveal improved impact strength, hardness, and compressive and tensile strength with an increment of fiber loading from 5–15 wt.%. The density of the composites was found to increase, whereas void content decreases with an increase in cotton fiber. The erosion wear of the composites has been studied using an L27 orthogonal array to assess the effects of various parameters such as fiber loading, erodent size, impact velocity, impingement angle, and stand-off distance. The erosion wear increased with impact velocity and remained highest for 60° of impingement angle. The most significant parameter affecting the erosion wear was determined as impact velocity followed by impingement angle. Surface morphologies of eroded samples reveal the fiber pull-out, and fiber breakage was the prominent phenomenon for the erosion wear of the evaluated composites.

Abrasion and Erosion Resistance of Cermets: A Review

WC-based hardmetals are employed widely as wear-resistant ceramic–metal composites for tools and wear parts. Raw materials supply, environmental concerns and some limitations of hardmetals have directed efforts toward development of alternative wear-resistant composites–cermets. We present a current state of knowledge in the field of ceramic-rich (≥50 vol%) cermets behavior in abrasion and erosion conditions, which are the dominant types of wear in many industrial applications. Distinction is made between two-body and three-body abrasion, solid-particle erosion, and slurry erosion. Cermets, in particular TiC-, Ti(C,N)- and Cr3C2-based composites and hardmetals, are compared for their abrasive and erosive wear performance and mechanism. The review enabled formulation of tribological conditions in which cermets may be comparable or have potential to outperform WC-Co hardmetals. Hardmetals, in general, outperform cermets in abrasion and solid-particle erosion at room and moderate temperatures. However, cermets demonstrate their potential mainly in severe conditions—at elevated temperatures and corrosive (oxidation, electrochemical corrosion) environments.

Study on Solid Particle Erosion of Pump Materials by Fly Ash Slurry using Taguchi’s Orthogonal Array

Various grades of stainless steel are used to fabricate the pump impeller, casings, and seals used in heavy-duty erosion and corrosion conditions. In the present study, stainless steel (SS316L, SS304, SDSS2507) and grey cast iron used in the fabrication of heavy-duty pump impellers were taken for the analysis of solid particle erosion. Experiments were conducted on the lab-scale slurry pot tester. Fly ash slurry was prepared of different concentrations (wt%). Taguchi’s orthogonal array is used to design the experiments of erosion wear for the variation of rotational speed, solid concentration, time, and particle size. Results showed that SS316L showed superior microhardness and wear behavior against the fly ash slurry followed by SS304, SDSS2507 and Grey cast iron.

Determination of plastic deformation rate after solid particle erosion in ductile materials

AA6082-T6 aluminium alloy is a candidate material, specifically in aviation applications, which could be exposed to solid particle erosion. Solid particle erosion occurs due to repetitive high-speed impact of erodent particles on a target material. Every individual impingement of the erodent particle results in elastic/plastic deformations and material removal from the target material. In this study, solid particle erosion investigations were carried out under 1.5 and 3 bar with 60 and 120 mesh alumina particles. Both erosion rates and worn volumes of the samples were calculated and measured. Also, the authors present the plastic deformation rate in this study as a proportion of the actual (measured) worn volume to the equivalent volume of the mass loss. In addition, the average surface roughness of the samples were investigated, which is another parameter for understanding the effect of plastic deformation on surface properties during particle erosion.

Thermal Shock Behavior and Particle Erosion Resistance of Toughened GZ Coatings Prepared by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying

Gadolinium zirconate with excellent high-temperature phase stability and sintering resistance has become a very promising candidate material for a new generation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). However, the low fracture toughness of gadolinium zirconate greatly limits its application. In this study, gadolinium zirconate (GZ) and two kinds of toughened gadolinium zirconate (GZ/YSZ prepared by mixed powder of Gd2Zr2O7 and YSZ and GSZC prepared by (Gd0.925Sc0.075)2(Zr0.7Ce0.3)2O7 powder) double-layered TBCs were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The fracture toughness of the GZ/YSZ coating and GSZC coating were 9 times and 3.5 times that of GZ coating, respectively. The results of thermal shock test showed that the three TBCs exhibit different failure mechanisms. During the thermal shock test, cracking occurred at the interfaces between the YSZ layer and the BC or GZ/YSZ layer, while GSZC TBC failed due to premature cracking inside the GSZC layer. The particle erosion rate of the GZ, GZ/YSZ, and GZSC coatings were 1.81, 0.48, and 1.01 mg/g, respectively, indicating that the erosion resistance of coatings is related to their fracture toughness. Furthermore, the superior erosion resistance of the GZ/YSZ and GSZC coatings can be attributed to the conversion of crack propagation path during the erosion test.

Microstructural Characteristic and Solid Particle Erosion Behavior of Plasma-Sprayed Ni60/Ni-WC Composite Coating

A Ni60/Ni-WC composite coating was fabricated by the plasma spraying technology and microstructure of the coating was analyzed. Moreover, erosion resistance of the coating under different erosion angles was tested. Results demonstrated that the coating has lamellar structures and contain some pores. WC particles distribute evenly in the coating and bond well with the parent phase. When the erosion angle increase, the weight loss of the erosion-induced coating increases firstly and then decreases, showing plastic-brittle composite erosion characteristics.