Performance evaluation of abrasive water jet machining on spent garnet reinforced hybrid composite

Abstract

In recent years, garnet from abrasive water jet machining has been used for cutting-edge technologies. Specifically, spent garnet abrasive particles posses significant strength in nature and have been used for strengthening polymer composites for new applications such as aero blade rotors and the construction industry. The spent garnet received from the abrasive water jet machine (AWJM) has been fed to 30 mesh size using a sieve shaker, which is used to reinforce the glass fiber polymer composite. The hybrid polymer composite was fabricated using a wet hand lay-up technique, and AWJM was used to cut the polymer composite. The machining output responses of surface roughness (Ra) was measured using an SJ-210 m, and kerf was measured using a video measurement system (VMS). Kerf taper (KT) and surface roughness (Ra) were measured by changing the machining inputs of AWJM. The KT and Ra were controlled by varying the input parameters. Moreover, it was found that the kerf was influenced by the amount of spent garnet reinforced in the glass fiber, which ranged from the range of 5% to 15%. Subsequently, cut surface smoothness was predominantly affected by the addition of spent garnet more than 10%. Increasing water jet pressure mainly improves the surface quality and reduces the kerf width. The abrasive flow rate mainly affects the Ra and is just the reverse of water jet pressure. The selection of optimal AWJM parameters is desirable for hybrid composite machining.