Analytical modeling of solid-particle erosion of Stellite alloys in combination with experimental investigation

This article presents the analytical modeling of erosion behavior of Stellite alloys under solid-particle impact. The erosion rates of five selected Stellite alloys, which are currently or potentially applied in an environment condition involving erosion, are investigated experimentally at two particle impact velocities of 84 and 98 ms−1, and at two impingement angles of 30° and 90°. The Sheldon-Kanhere (S-K) model that utilizes the indentation hardness theory to derive a particle penetration equation is modified to fit the experimental data of Stellite alloys. The most significant improvement of this modified model is to include the effect of particle impingement angle. This introduces two parameters in the model, which are determined by fitting the experimental data of the five Stellite alloys. With this modified model, for Stellite alloys that have similar chemical compositions to the alloys studied in this research, the erosion rates at the particle impact velocity of 84 m s−1 or 98 m s−1 can be predicted for any particle impingement angles less than 30°. The limitations of this model are discussed.