Investigation of Surface Morphology and Topography Features on Abrasive Water Jet Milled Surface Pattern of SS 304

Abstract

Abstract Among the nontraditional milling processes, abrasive water jet (AWJ) is a cold machining technique for producing surface textures on a wide variety of materials. This article reports the feasibility study of producing biomedical implant surface pattern on stainless steel 304 using controlled deposition of AWJ milling. Preliminary investigation on the AWJ-milled surface pattern was carried out through the controllable milling parameters such as fluid pressure, stand-off distance (SOD), nozzle feed rate and garnet flow rate. The preliminary observations made in this study were the depth of cut, metal removal rate, and surface roughness for the evaluation of milled surface characteristics. The multicriteria technique, i.e., Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), was carried out for the selection of the process parameter settings through the efficient use of preliminary observations considered in this study. Surface morphology, topography and their features in the AWJ-milled surface pattern of stainless 304 were examined on the basis of selected parameter settings. The result confirmed the feasibility of producing a rough spot groove texture through controlled deposition of AWJ milling operations. Results of this study can be highly helpful for dental implant manufacturing industries in the production of a precise surface pattern on biomaterials.