Abstract
Excellent correlation was found earlier between cyclic strain properties and the rate at which damage accumulates from erosive processes by Richman and McNaughton. The purpose of the work reported here was to develop finite-element models to evaluate the elastic-plastic material response to multistrike erosion events. Of particular interest were strain history and hysteresis effects. In the past, most applications of finite elements for damage analysis were limited to elastic halfspaces, single load-unload events and isotropic work hardening. The results were interpreted mainly in terms of the stress fields developed and included limited evaluation of deformation. By using elastic-plastic material response, kinematic hardening and randomly located multiple indentations, we have aimed to improve the understanding of materials responses to erosive processes. The eventual goal is to allow materials fabricators and equipment designers to construct more erosionresistant machinery.