Erosive Wear Behavior of FRP Composite Pipes Under Varying Impingement Angles, Impact Velocities and Flow Directions

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite pipes are emerging as superior alternatives in sectors such as oil and gas, chemical processing, and aerospace, owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility; however, their long-term durability is susceptible to erosion wear when exposed to abrasive particles. This study experimentally investigates the solid particle erosion (SPE) behavior of filament-wound carbon (CFR/EP), glass (GFR/EP), and basalt (BFR/EP) fiber-reinforced epoxy pipes by ASTM G76-18. Tests were conducted under varied impingement angles (30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees), flow directions (axial and radial), and particle velocities (28 and 34 m/s), using both erosion rate (ER) and volumetric material loss to assess performance. All composites demonstrated a semi-ductile erosion response, with degradation consistently peaking at a 45 degrees impingement angle across all test conditions. An increase in particle velocity from 28 to 34 m/s induced a near two-fold escalation in ER. Among the materials, BFR/EP exhibited the highest erosion rates, whereas CFR/ EP was the most resistant. Notably, ER values were consistently higher in the axial flow direction, exceeding radial values by 20-40 % under the most severe condition (45 degrees at 34 m/s). Paradoxically, despite its lower ER, CFR/EP suffered greater volumetric material loss than GFR/EP, a discrepancy attributed to its significantly lower fiber volume fraction (42.4 %) compared to GFR/EP (68.9 %) and BFR/EP (59.7 %). These findings emphasize that both ER and volumetric loss are critical metrics for designing thin-walled pipes, thereby providing a crucial scientific basis for material selection in environments characterized by erosive, multi-directional flow.