Experiment and Simulation of Erosion Mechanism and Deformation Characteristics in Al6061-T6 beam due to Rhomboid Particle Impacts

The erosion mechanism and deformation characteristics of rhomboid-shaped particle impacting metal beam are studied. Physical experiments of rhomboid-shaped particle impacting cantilever beam and fixed–fixed beam are carried out, respectively. The erosion behavior of particles and deformation characteristics of beam are captured by high-speed imaging system. Meanwhile, the numerical models of rhomboid-shaped particle impacting beam, based on FEM-SPH coupled method, are established. The effects of the geometrical parameters of the beam, the incident conditions of particle and the impact position on the elastic–plastic deformation of beam and rebound behavior of particles are further analyzed. The results show: (1) The width of cantilever beam affects its maximum deflection and deformation; (2) The threshold value of breakdown velocity is controlled by the substrate size; (3) The increment of internal energy is basically independent of the impact position; (4) The deflection value at impact position of beam is maximized under the critical impact condition.