Abstract
Abrasive waterjet machining is applied in various industries for contour cutting of heat-sensitive and difficult-to-cut materials like austenitic stainless steel 304L, with the goal of ensuring high surface integrity and efficiency. In alignment with this manufacturing aspiration, experimental analysis and optimization were carried out on abrasive waterjet machining of austenitic stainless steel 304L with the objectives of minimizing surface roughness and maximizing material removal rate. In this machining process, process parameters are critical factors influencing contour cutting performance. Accordingly, Taguchi’s S/N ratio method has been used in this study for the optimization of process parameters. Further in this work, the impacts of input parameters are investigated, including waterjet pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, traverse speed and material thickness on material removal rate and surface roughness. The study reveals that an increasing level of waterjet pressure and abrasive mass flow rate achieved better surface integrity and higher material removal values. The average S/N ratio results indicate an optimum value of waterjet pressure at 300 MPa and abrasive mass flow rate of 500 g/min achieved minimum surface roughness and maximum material removal rate. It was also found that an optimized value of a traverse speed at 90 mm/min generates the lowest surface roughness and 150 mm/min produces the highest rate of material removed. Moreover, analysis of variance in the study showed that material thickness was the most influencing parameter on surface roughness and material removal rate, with a percentage contribution ranging 90.72–97.74% and 65.55–78.17%, respectively.
Highlights
Abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) is a non-traditional cold processing technology used for material processing, with considerable advantages including the absence of heat affected zones, low tool wear, low reaction force, high flexibility, as well as broad application range [1]
Experimental and numerical studies have been conducted in this work to investigate interactions between AWJM input parameters, including water jet pressure, traverse speed, and abrasive mass flow rate, on surface roughness and rate of material removal in abrasive waterjet contour cutting of austenitic stainless steel (AISI) 304L with differing level thicknesses
4–6showed showed that that surface areare visibly higher as the Figures surface roughness roughnessand andstriation striation visibly higher as the traverse speed value increases from 90 mm/min to 150 mm/min with constant values for traverse speed value increases from 90 mm/min to 150 mm/min with constant values for waterjet pressure and abrasive mass flow rate of 300 MPa and 500 g/min, respectively
Summary
Abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) is a non-traditional cold processing technology used for material processing, with considerable advantages including the absence of heat affected zones, low tool wear, low reaction force, high flexibility, as well as broad application range [1]. The fundamental mechanism of abrasive waterjet cutting is material erosion through waterjet eroding, with force and disparity in the momentum of the abrasives colliding on the target material. An AWJM nozzle system consists of an abrasive hopper and feeder, a water nozzle/orifice, a mixing/vacuum chamber, and a focusing tube or inserts. The abrasive particles are carried out from the plastic tube into the hopper, where they are released to the cutting head and extracted by a waterjet stream in the vacuum chamber. The high-pressure waterjet is combined with abrasive particles and accelerated to produce the abrasive waterjet [3]. Metals 2021, 11, 1362 high-pressure waterjet is combined with abrasive particles and accelerated to of pro duce the abrasive waterjet [3].
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