Erosion Equations for Non-Metallic Materials

Polymer composite materials have generated wide interest in various engineering fields, particularly in the oil and gas industry and aerospace applications because they exhibit high specific strength and stiffness as compared to monolithic metal alloys. Therefore, polymer composite materials are finding increased application under conditions in which they may be subjected to solid particle erosion. Researchers have widely investigated erosion damage happened in metallic or ceramic materials. However, erosion in non-metallic materials could also cause serious erosion damage.

The main objective of this research is to expand the existing database of the erosion behavior of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) and polyethylene with sand particles. Previous investigations were mostly performed in gas flow and under dry flow conditions, therefore in this study; erosion direct impingement experiments will be conducted in both gas and liquid to develop a model for predicting erosion of FRP and Polyethylene materials in both gas and liquid flow conditions.