Finite element analysis of multiple solid particles erosion in cermet coating

In this paper, an improved three-dimensional (3D) numerical model for erosion process was developed in which multiple solid particles were adopted for characterizing the accumulation of damage. In this model, the metal-ceramic composite materials were coated on nickel-base superalloy. The explicit solver LS-DYNA has been used to simulate the erosion process. The effects of the coating thickness, particle size and impingement velocity on the stress distribution and damage of the target material were studied. The simulation results show that the reasonable coating thickness can effectively prevent its peeling. With the increase of impact velocity, radial and lateral cracks are initiating and propagating on the coating surface. Particle size has the significant influence on the coating loss. This multiple particle model can help understanding and predicting the erosion results better than conventional FE simulations.