Numerical simulation of particle fracture and surface erosion due to single particle impact

Particle fracture can influence material failure and removal mechanisms in high velocity impact progress. In this paper, a coupled finite element method-smooth particle hydrodynamics numerical model of a single irregularly shaped particle erode metal surface was established to investigate the particle fracture and metal surface erosion. The Johnson–Cook model and Johnson–Holmquist-II model were introduced to describe the deformation of ductile materials and the fracture of brittle materials, respectively. Subsequently, the erosion process of a single irregularly shaped particle impacting different material properties of metal was studied. The results showed the following: (1) The JH-2 constitutive model can simulate the fracture of brittle particles accurately, and the results between simulations and experiments were in reasonable agreement. (2) The extent of particle fracture was lower on softer substrates than on the harder ones. (3) The orientation angle was a key factor affecting secondary impacts of brittle particles. (4) The rigid particle made more damage on the substrate than the brittle one under the same condition.