Effects of Target Size on Foreign Object Damage in Gas-Turbine Grade Silicon Nitrides by Steel Ball Projectiles

Foreign object damage (FOD) phenomena of two gas-turbine grade silicon nitrides (AS800 and SN282) were assessed at ambient temperature applying impact velocities from 20 to 300 m/s using 1.59-mm diameter hardened steel ball projectiles. Targets in a flexural configuration with two different sizes (thicknesses) of 1 and 2 mm were ballistic-impacted under a fully supported condition. The severity of impact damage, as well as the degree of post-impact strength degradation, increased with increasing impact velocity, increased with decreasing target size, and was greater in SN282 than in AS800 silicon nitride. The critical impact velocity where targets fractured catastrophically decreased with decreasing target size and was lower in SN282 than in AS800. Overall, FOD by steel projectiles was significantly less than that by silicon-nitride ceramic counterparts, due to much decreased Hertzian contact stresses. A correlation of backside cracking velocity versus target size was made based on a simplified elastic foundation analysis.