Finite Element Analysis of Single-Particle Impact on Mild Steel and Spheroidal Graphite Cast Iron

Abstract

Erosion of materials due to the impact of solid particles is strongly affected by the mechanical properties and microstructures of materials. The experiments in this study showed that maximum erosion occurred at impact angle of 20° for mild steel SS400 and 60° for spheroidal graphite cast iron FDI. This phenomenon has been referred to as the impact angle dependence of erosion in previous studies. In order to clarify the impact angle dependence of erosion on these two materials, 3D finite element (FE) models of single-particle impact on SS400 and FDI were built and analyzed. Considering that erosion occurs due to a combination of cutting and deformation effects, the experimental results were explained from the viewpoint of shear stress and plastic strain on the material surface of FE models. Simulation results showed that for FE models of SS400, plastic strain varied only slightly at different impact angles, whereas the shear stress changed significantly with impact angle, with the maximum value occurring at impact angle of 20°. Thus, shear stress was the main factor affecting the erosion of mild steel, which can explain the experimental observation of maximum erosion occurring at 20° for SS400. On the other hand, for FE models of FDI, shear stress changed little at different impact angles while plastic strain changed significantly with impact angle. The maximum value of plastic strain occurred at impact angle of 50° or 80°, which was also in accordance with the experimental result that maximum erosion occurred at impact angle of 60° for FDI.