Hierarchical Significance of Environment Impact Factor on the Sand Erosion Performance of Lightweight Alloys

Abstract

This paper addresses the challenge of ranking the factors that affect the erosion resistance of lightweight alloys, with a specific focus on aluminum alloys. A three-factor, four-level orthogonal experimental design was employed to examine the influence of various sand particle sizes, erosion speeds, and sand concentrations on the abrasion qualities of these alloys. Parameters such as mass loss, depth, residual stresses, and failure mechanisms were assessed to determine erosion performance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis of the three key factors were performed. Our findings resulted in an erosion rate formula: erosion rate = 0.679 sand particle size +0.067 sand concentration −0.002 erosion velocity +0.285. Our findings indicate that particle size is the most significant factor affecting erosion rate, with sand concentration and erosion velocity being secondary factors. The failure mechanism reveals that larger sand particles tend to produce deeper slides, and higher sand concentrations result in an increased number of slides. A lower concentration leads to the appearance of erosion pits. And the test conditions of high concentration and low velocity lead to more serious brittle fractures of the substrate, often accompanied by the appearance of cracks.