Simulation of solid particle erosion wear using discrete element method: Comparison of experimental and analysis results

Abstract

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) stands out as an effective computational tool for modeling complex mechanical wear processes such as solid particle erosion. The DEM method offers significant advantages in terms of providing realistic results, particularly when it comes to examining particle and surface interactions over time and predicting surface deformations. In this study, the effectiveness of DEM in determining the solid particle erosion wear behavior was evaluated by comparing it with experimental data. In the experimental phase, aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) particles were impacted onto St37 structural steel samples at different impact angles (30°, 60°, 90°) and different quantities (1, 2, 3 kg) to calculate erosion rates. DEM based simulation analyses were performed using the same parameters, and surface deformations were modelled. When compared with experimental data, the simulation results showed high convergence, particularly at high impact angles such as 60° and 90° (5–15 % deviation). However, deviations increased at low impact angles such as 30°. While DEM analyses can successfully predict surface embedment deformations, they have not been able to adequately reflect damage caused by ductile behavior such as sliding. The surface embedment effect has shown a similarity of around 5 % at high impact angles compared to experimental data. In addition, ANOVA tests were applied to the erosion rates found in experiments and simulations to statistically evaluate the results. The test results statistically revealed that the most effective variable on the erosion rate was the angle of impact (p < 0.0001). The results demonstrate that the discrete element method is a reliable approach for modeling solid particle erosion wear behavior and, when used in conjunction with experimental data, can provide effective solutions for predicting and preventing erosion-induced damage during the design phase in systems such as jet engine turbines, space applications, and dust particle interaction engineering problems.