Experimental study on the hole quality during abrasive waterjet drilling of CFRP

Abrasive Waterjet (AWJ) machining is considered an excellent alternative to conventional machining processes due to its superb machining characteristics. More specifically, Abrasive Waterjet drilling is nowadays a promising non-conventional process for obtaining high quality holes. In the present study, drilling experiments based on Taguchi L9 orthogonal design method were conducted via AWJ on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plate at various waterjet parameters, namely, different pressure, abrasive mass flow rate and standoff distance values. The purpose of the experiments was to investigate the impact of these process parameters on the quality of holes. The hole quality was determined by measuring the hole diameter error as well as the hole taper. The optical evaluation was implemented with the use of optical microscope and special measuring software. The ANOVA analysis of the results showed a significant influence of standoff distance regarding the hole diameter error and a combined influence of waterjet pressure and standoff distance regarding the hole taper. Furthermore, the optimal process parameter values for the optimization of the hole diameter error and hole taper were determined. The hole quality in terms of defects appearance was also quantitatively inspected, through optical imaging.

Multi-Response Optimization of Abrasive Waterjet Machining of Ti6Al4V Using Integrated Approach of Utilized Heat Transfer Search Algorithm and RSM

Machining of Titanium alloys (Ti6Al4V) becomes more vital due to its essential role in biomedical, aerospace, and many other industries owing to the enhanced engineering properties. In the current study, a Box–Behnken design of the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the performance of the abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) of Ti6Al4V. For process parameter optimization, a systematic strategy combining RSM and a heat-transfer search (HTS) algorithm was investigated. The nozzle traverse speed (Tv), abrasive mass flow rate (Af), and stand-off distance (Sd) were selected as AWJM variables, whereas the material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR), and kerf taper angle (θ) were considered as output responses. Statistical models were developed for the response, and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was executed for determining the robustness of responses. The single objective optimization result yielded a maximum MRR of 0.2304 g/min (at Tv of 250 mm/min, Af of 500 g/min, and Sd of 1.5 mm), a minimum SR of 2.99 µm, and a minimum θ of 1.72 (both responses at Tv of 150 mm/min, Af of 500 g/min, and Sd of 1.5 mm). A multi-objective HTS algorithm was implemented, and Pareto optimal points were produced. 3D and 2D plots were plotted using Pareto optimal points, which highlighted the non-dominant feasible solutions. The effectiveness of the suggested model was proved in predicting and optimizing the AWJM variables. The surface morphology of the machined surfaces was investigated using the scanning electron microscope. The confirmation test was performed using optimized cutting parameters to validate the results.

Some characteristics of surfaces machined with abrasive waterjet turning

This paper presents an experimental study of abrasive waterjet turning of an extrusion aluminum alloy (AlMg0,7Si). The aim of the paper is to determine differences of two methods from the point of view of machined surface quality and the depth of penetration, i.e., the diameter of the parts after the turning process. During the experiments, the traverse speed of the cutting head and the rotation of the turned parts were changed, other parameters, like pressure of the water, abrasive mass flow rate were kept constant. Diameter and some surface roughness parameters of the test parts were measured after the machining. On the base of experimental results, advantages, and disadvantages of two methods are explained in the paper.

Effect of Waterjet Machining Parameters on the Cut Quality of PP and PVC-U Materials Coated with Polyurethane and Acrylate Coatings

The article focuses on the machining of polymeric materials polypropylene (PP) and un-plasticized poly vinyl chloride (PVC-U) after surface treatment with polyurethane and acrylate coatings using waterjet technology. Two types of waterjet technologies, abrasive waterjet (AWJ) and waterjet without abrasive (WJ), were used. The kerf width and its taper angle, at the inlet and outlet of the waterjet from the workpiece, were evaluated. Significant differences between AWJ and WJ technology were found. WJ technology proved to be less effective due to the creation of a nonuniform cutting gap and significant burrs. AWJ technology was shown to be more efficient, i.e., more uniform cuts were achieved compared to WJ technology, especially at a cutting head traverse speed of 50 mm·min−1. The most uniform kerf width or taper angle was achieved for PP + MOBIHEL (0.09°). The materials (PP and PVC-U) with the POLURAN coating had higher values of the taper angle of the cutting gap than the material with the MOBIHEL coating at all cutting head traverse speeds. The SEM results showed that the inappropriate cutting head traverse speed and the associated WJ technology resulted in significant destruction of the material to be cut on the underside of the cut. Delamination of the POLURAN and MOBIHEL coatings from the base material PP and PVC-U was not demonstrated by SEM analysis over the range of cutting head traverse speeds, i.e., 50 to 1000 mm·min−1.

Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Comparison of Water Droplet Machining and Traditional Abrasive Waterjet Cutting

Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting is a manufacturing technique, which uses a high-speed waterjet as the transport medium for abrasive particles to erode and cut through metal workpieces. The use of abrasives has significant environmental impacts and leads to the high operating costs of AWJ cutting. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether other metal cutting approaches can perform the same tasks with reduced environmental and economic impacts. One such manufacturing innovation is water droplet machining (WDM). In this process, the waterjet, which is immersed in a sub-atmospheric pressure environment, is discretized into a train of high velocity water droplets, which are able to erode and cut through the metal workpiece without abrasives. However, the cutting velocity of WDM is two orders of magnitude slower than AWJ. In this paper, a comparative life cycle and life cycle cost assessments were performed to determine which waterjet cutting technology is more beneficial to the environment and cost-efficient, considering their impacts from cradle to grave. The results show lower environmental and economic impacts for AWJ compared to WDM due to the AWJ’s ability to cut more metal over the service life than the WDM. Further sensitivity analyses give insight into how the change in abrasive rate is the most sensitive input for the AWJ, whereas the machine lifetime and electricity usage are the most sensitive inputs for the WDM. These results provide a valuable comparison between these alternative waterjet cutting technologies.