Cavitation-based soft abrasive flow processing method

Abstract

To improve the processing efficiency and surface quality of soft abrasive flow (SAF) processing, we proposed a cavitation-based soft abrasive flow (CSAF) processing method and designed a CSAF processing tool, which uses the Venturi tube structure to create a cavitation effect. The microjet produced by cavitation accelerates the impact of abrasive particles on the workpiece and improves the processing efficiency of abrasive flow. Based on that, we designed the flow field profiles of the processing tool. We built a two-phase fluid dynamic model for CSAF to reveal the cavitation mechanism and evolution regularities based on the Schnerr-Sauer cavitation model and the mixture calculation method. The numerical results validated the feasibility of the proposed processing method, helped choosing the optimal structure sizes of flow passage. A particle image velocimetry (PIV)–based observation platform is established, the cavitation images with different flow parameters are obtained, and the validity of the simulation results is validated. The maximum flow velocity on the processing area in the SAF tool is 22.8 m/s, and the maximum flow velocity of the CSAF tool is increased to 46.2 m/s. With a developed CSAF processing experiment platform, the comparative experiment results with SAF showed that the proposed CSAF processing method achieves better surface quality and increases the material removal rate by 52%.