Erosion behavior and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes

Solid particle erosion is a crucial aspect for the performance and lifetime of important components utilized in several fields. Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPUs) are often selected as coating materials on the basis of their very interesting erosion behavior. But despite serious attempts in recent years to correlate their extraordinary performance with morphological and mechanical properties, only few indications are available today. This paper investigates the erosion of several TPUs by quartz sand particles using a high impact velocity (160m/s) under various impact angles. The results, expressed in terms of erosion rate, suggest that the viscoelastic properties could play an important role in their erosion behavior. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.