Determination of the effect of nozzle geometry on abrasive particle impact velocity by erosion wear tests

Erosion wear, caused by the impact of high-speed abrasive particles on surfaces, is a significant wear mechanism with numerous applications across various sectors, limiting equipment life in many industrial settings. While the various parameters affecting this wear mechanism have been studied in detail, studies experimentally investigating the effect of nozzle geometry on particle impact velocity and related erosion behavior remain limited. This thesis focuses on updating a solid particle erosion wear testing device to investigate the effect of nozzle geometry on abrasive particle impact velocity and erosion wear. Design and manufacturing processes prioritizing increased experimental consistency were implemented. Therefore, the development of a transition process to an erosion testing device with three-axis movement capability, equipped with electronic monitoring and control infrastructure, and compliant with international standards is of critical importance. Furthermore, the designed system aims to enable reliable and repeatable analysis of erosion wear outputs based on variations between nozzle geometry and particle velocity. In this study, nozzles with different outlet diameters (Ø3.2 mm, Ø4.8 mm, Ø6.4 mm, and Ø8.5 mm) were manufactured, and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) particles with a size range of 300–425 µm were chosen as abrasives. Air was planned to be used as the fluid for particle transport. In the investigation of particle movement, the measurement infrastructure was developed through the thesis activities by integrating the double-disk method into the experimental setup to determine abrasive velocities depending on flow rate variations. In the experiments, microstructure comparisons were made using S355J2+N structural steel material, defined in the EN 10025-2 standard, primarily for the transportation sector.