Research about Size Effect of Solid Particles on Erosion Resistance of Aluminum Alloy and Infrared Windows

Abstract

In this research, experimental study about size effect of solid particles on erosion resistance is presented. A high-density polyethylene particle with a mm-sized diameter is accelerated using a two-stage light gas gun up to Mach number of approximately 3.0. An accelerated particle impacts aluminum alloy such as Al1050 and Al6061 T6, and infrared windows such as ZnS and sapphire specimens. For the aluminum alloy, craters that form on the surface of the specimens are measured to characterize the erosion resistance of the material. For the infrared windows, repetitive tests are conducted until a linear or circumferential crack is found to create damage threshold curves that define a material's erosive resistance. From the comparison of test data for various sizes of high-density polyethylene particles, it is found that erosion resistance of material is linearly dependent on the size of particles.