Random process of particle-wall collision and its application in numerical simulation of solid particle erosion

Tracking the impact-rebound process of particles is an important part in the numerical simulation of solid particle erosion. In the present work, the particle-wall collision process is divided into two parts: a particle colliding with an ideal plane and the random trajectory of a particle caused by surface undulation. Four model combinations are used to analyse the random process of a large number of particles hitting a target wall. Compared with other model combinations, the statistical results of predictions by the soft ball and rough wall models are in better agreement with the fitted curves of experimental data. The influence of the friction coefficient on the random process is discussed. The combination of the soft ball and rough wall models is then applied to the numerical simulation of solid particle erosion of two orthogonal plates and 90 degrees bends. The model combination is well verified by comparing with the experimental data available in the literature. In addition, the present work compares the model combination with the empirical formula in detail.