Control and evaluation of particle impact conditions in a sand erosion test facility

For the prediction of actual damage to plant component materials and for making the erosion mechanisms clear, it is important to control and to evaluate the particle impact conditions in a testing facility. A sand blast type erosion test rig, which can achieve the particle impact velocities up to 135 m s(-1) and a wide range of impact angles has been constructed. The key factors in particle impact conditions of particle flux, impact velocity and impact angle were examined. The relative distance between particles and particle size was discussed, as the particle flux affected erosion rate of material. A new method was proposed to determine particle velocities in this facility. The theoretical velocity of the particle calculated by the equations of particle motion was compared with the experimental results. The divergence of particles from a geometrical angle was evaluated by measuring surface roughness of the specimens. Although some spread of the particles were observed surrounding the central damage area of the specimen surface, the greatest amount of damage was concentrated in the center. As a result, it was found that particle impact conditions were well controlled in this testing unit. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.