Impact erosion prediction using the finite volume particle method with improved constitutive models

Erosion damage in hydraulic turbines is a common problem caused by the high- velocity impact of small particles entrained in the fluid. In this investigation, the Finite Volume Particle Method is used to simulate the three-dimensional impact of rigid spherical particles on a metallic surface. Three different constitutive models are compared: the linear strain- hardening (L-H), Cowper-Symonds (C-S) and Johnson-Cook (J-C) models. They are assessed in terms of the predicted erosion rate and its dependence on impact angle and velocity, as compared to experimental data. It has been shown that a model accounting for strain rate is necessary, since the response of the material is significantly tougher at the very high strain rate regime caused by impacts. High sensitivity to the friction coefficient, which models the cutting wear mechanism, has been noticed. The J-C damage model also shows a high sensitivity to the parameter related to triaxiality, whose calibration appears to be scale-dependent, not exclusively material-determined. After calibration, the J-C model is capable of capturing the material’s erosion response to both impact velocity and angle, whereas both C-S and L-H fail.