Research Initiation: Fundamental Study of Abrasive Water Jet Cutting

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This project deals with both experimental and analytical investigations of the abrasive waterjet cutting of materials. The advent of new and more difficult-to-manufacture materials lead to the development of many advanced manufacturing techniques, the so- called non-traditional machine processes, of which abrasive waterjet is one. Mathematical models will be developed using the equations of motion for the waterjet, and the abrasive particles, as well as the energy balance in the impingement zone. Non-dimensional numbers characterizing the process will be determined and used to develop regression equations relating process variables. Experimental studies will be carried out to validate selected equations and evaluate the coefficients. The experiments will involve piercing and cutting plexiglass plates, monitoring process variables and estimating cutting performance. The measured variables include velocities of the water jet and abrasive particles, distribution of forces at the jet/solid interface and rate of motion of this interface. The Laser anemometry, Mach lines technique, high speed photography will be used to measure velocity. High speed filming will also be used to study the kinetics of surface formation. The topography of surfaces will be studied by constructing (cutting slit or notch) replicas and optical and electron microscopy of the surfaces. The procedure will enable generating data for optimization and development of abrasive waterjet cutting.