Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Erosive Wear of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

Abstract

Solid particle erosion (SPE) as a common damage mechanism in industrial applications can reduce the effective operation of components or contribute to failure. However, it has beneficial usages in manufacturing processes, especially in abrasive sandblasting and waterjet cutting. The aim of this paper is an investigation of erosive behavior of Ti-6Al-4V alloy through numerical and experimental approaches. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model is developed using the representative volume element (RVE) to simulate multiple particles impact on Ti-6Al-4V target. Failure and plastic behavior of the target surface due to particles impact is described by Johnson-Cook constitutive equations. Furthermore, erosive behavior of the alloy is experimentally researched by multiple SPE tests. Verification of the implemented approach is studied by comparing the results of the FE model and the SPE experiments. Effects of particles impact angle considering Johnson-Cook coefficient values and particles velocity on erosive behavior of Ti-6Al-4V are also studied. Both numerical and experimental results show a maximum erosion rate of the alloy at an impact angle of 45 deg for spherical sand particles with a diameter of 100 µm. According to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, the erosion process involves both ductile and brittle mechanisms at this angle.