Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Erosion Resistance of YSZ and GZ+YSZ Coatings on Inconel 738

In this study, the erosion resistance of YSZ and GZ+YSZ coatings on Inconel 738 under alumina particle impact was investigated both numerically and experimentally. In the experimental phase, the mass loss of the samples was measured from the initial to the final state under controlled laboratory conditions. The numerical analysis was performed using ABAQUS finite element software alongside a developed MATLAB code. This analysis examined various factors, including compressive stress, fracture energy, multiple particle impacts, particle velocity, impact angle, particle diameter, and the random spatial distribution of impacts. The total erosion and final mass loss were estimated, and the results were validated against the experimental data. The findings indicate that the erosion rate of the YSZ ceramic coating is lower than that of the GZ+YSZ coating, which experienced a mass loss 38% greater than that of the YSZ coating. The erosion rate for both coatings was observed to decrease initially before increasing over time. Furthermore, multiple impacts at the same location and particle size were found to have an insignificant effect on the erosion rate. Reducing the impact angle from normal (90 ° ) and lowering particle velocity decreased the erosion rate. This research provides an analysis of the underlying causes for these observations and evaluates the dominant erosion mechanisms and coating behaviors.