Abstract
In the present study, the abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) of geopolymers prepared from fly ash, metakaolin and sand is discussed. The samples were prepared from sodium promoter, fly ash / metakaolin and sand. The process of activation was made using a 10M sodium hydroxide solution combined with a sodium silicate solution (the ratio of liquid glass - 1:2.5). To produce geopolymers, flakes of technical sodium hydroxide were used and an aqueous solution of sodium silicate (R-145) with a molar module of 2.5 and a density of around 1.45 g/cm3 the tap water. The alkaline solution was prepared by means of pouring the aqueous solution of sodium silicate over the solid sodium hydroxide. The solution was mixed and left until its temperature stablised and the concentrations equalised, which took around 2 hours. The fly ash, sand and alkaline solution were mixed for around 10 minutes using a low-speed mixing machine (in order to obtain a homogeneous paste). The paste was allowed to dry in the shade. The paper investigates the AWJM studies on the prepared geopolymer specimens with varyied input parameters such as standoff distance (1.2 and 3 mm), water pressure (120, 140 and 160 MPa) and feed rate (5, 10 and 15 mm/min). The output parameters such as kerf angle and material removal rate (MRR) were studied with the varying combination of input parameters. From the results, the optimal parameters for machining the geopolymer composites were interpreted.
Highlights
Geopolymers are non-inorganic aluminosilicate polymers composed of silicon and aluminium
Composites made from a geopolymer matrix have better compressive strength and flexural strength than composites made from Portland cement
Tools which are produced with the geopolymer resin have better properties than tools which are produced with castable ceramics, chemically bonded ceramics and monolithic graphite [3]
Summary
Geopolymers are non-inorganic aluminosilicate polymers composed of silicon and aluminium. Abrasive water jet machining is a new technology that is an advancement of traditional technology for the processing of the raw material into useful products with a good surface finish; it provides no thermal distortion, high machining versatility and requires only a small cutting force [8]. The cost of production is reduced because the consumption of abrasive particles is low with regard to high jet pressure [14] In this experiment, a detailed study conducted on various input parameters, such as jet pressure, traverse speed and standoff distance, and the output parameters, such as kerf width, material removal rates and surfaces roughness, are analysed based on these input parameters
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