Water Jet Method Research Articles

Submerged surface texturing of AISI 304L using the pulsating water jet method

Submerged jets have a variety of practical applications due to their versatility in providing efficient and environmentally friendly options for treatment in various industries. The physical background is based on the continuous water jet (CWJ) application powered via stagnation pressure. However, it is known that impact pressure is much more effective than static pressure. When the impact pressure is repeated with a high frequency per time unit, the erosive effects of water can be used even at pressures below 100 MPa, which is attractive from the point of view of the low demands of the hydraulic system. Surface modification utilising impact pressure can be achieved by employing the pulsed water jet (PWJ) method. The combination of parameters such as the traverse speed and trajectory pattern can control the number of water clusters impacting the material surface. So far, the field of application of PWJ for surface treatment has mostly been investigated water atmospheric conditions. This article focuses on the possibility of the surface modification of AISI 304L stainless steel using the PWJ method under submerged conditions. The results are compared to those obtained under atmospheric conditions. The reference samples were treated by the same technological conditions using a continuous water jet (CWJ). The affected surfaces were characterised using areal surface roughness parameters Sa, Sz, Sp, and Sv, and the surface topography and mechanism of erosion wear were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. A significant increase in all roughness parameters was confirmed using the PWJ compared to the CWJ method (both in atmospheric and submerged conditions), which confirms the importance of using impact pressure. The surface treatment by PWJ under submerged conditions resulted in a decrease of the surface roughness parameter Sa by approximately 97% compared to atmospheric conditions at a traverse speed of 2 mm/s for perpendicular interleaved trajectory, nevertheless, the homogeneity of treatment over a larger area was improved.

Experiments of Main Parameters Affecting the Erosive Behavior of Self-Excited Oscillating Abrasive Water Jets: Length of Self-Oscillation Chamber, Jet Pressure, Abrasive Fluid Velocity, and Abrasive Grain Size.

To enhance the erosion efficiency in traditional abrasive water jet processing, an abrasive water jet processing method based on self-excited fluid oscillation is proposed. Traditional abrasive water jet methods suffer from reduced jet kinetic energy due to the presence of a stagnation layer, which hinders efficient material removal. By integrating a self-oscillation chamber into the conventional abrasive water jet nozzle, the continuous jet is transformed into a pulsed jet, thereby increasing the jet velocity and enhancing the kinetic energy of the process. This modification aims to improve material removal efficiency. Using Ansys Fluent, we simulated the material removal efficiency on workpiece surfaces with varying lengths of self-oscillation chambers. The simulation results reveal that the optimal length of the self-oscillation chamber for maximum erosion is 4 mm. SiC materials were used to evaluate the impact of self-oscillation chamber length (L), jet pressure (P), abrasive flow rate (M), and abrasive grain size (D) on erosion. Experimental results show that the self-oscillation chamber increases erosion depth by 33 μm. The maximum erosion depths recorded were 167 μm when L = 4 mm, 223 μm when P = 16 MPa, 193 μm when M = 80 g/min, and 268 μm when D = 2000 μm. Overall, the self-excited oscillation effect enhances the erosion efficiency of the waterjet by 14%. This study further elucidates the factors influencing erosion behaviors in oscillating abrasive water jet processing.

Influence of AWJ Process Parameters on Erosion Groove Formation in Additively Manufactured Stainless Steel.

The presented manuscript focuses on the influence of process parameters of abrasive water jet technology on the creation of non-transient erosive grooves. The processed stainless steel SS 316L is additively manufactured using the selective laser melting (SLM) method. Due to the distinct mechanical properties of this material resulting from the production process, the material was machined in two planes according to the direction of the printing layers. The experimental part employed a planned experiment utilizing the DoE (Design of Experiment) method. Experiments aimed at varying process parameters (traverse speed, standoff distance, abrasive mass flow) were conducted at a water pressure of 50 MPa, assessing the parameters' impact on the removed material and the properties of the resulting non-transient erosion groove. The properties of the erosion groove, such as shape and the material removal (area of erosion groove), were evaluated. The influences of process parameters on the observed parameters were assessed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. Experiment preparation and setup were based on a thorough theoretical analysis of the machining process with the abrasive water jet (AWJ) method. The experiment also highlights the diverse properties of the SS 316L material prepared using the SLM method when machined with AWJ technology.

A comprehensive investigation of uncertainties in cavitating waterjet experiments

This paper systematically examines the sources of uncertainty in cavitating waterjet test setups and provides illustrative case studies to conduct thorough uncertainty analyses for erosion tests using cavitating waterjet method. Within this study, utilizing examples of uncertainty analysis presented by the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) for various testing techniques, a novel uncertainty analysis implementation suitable for cavitating waterjet tests has been conducted. Firstly, cavitation erosion experiments were carried out on samples aluminum (Al 6063) material under cavitation number conditions (σ = 0.02 to σ = 0.033 range) as part of the validation study. Subsequently, within the scope of uncertainty analysis calculations, five erosion tests were conducted for each of the two different cavitation numbers (σ = 0.03 and σ = 0.05). The study aims to examine the bias and precision uncertainty components separately for the test results of erosion rate and establish a reliable and repeatable procedure for predicting the uncertainty level of cavitating waterjet tests. For the first time in the literature, the uncertainty components of cavitating waterjet tests were investigated in detail and the uncertainty level in cavitating waterjet tests, including bias and precision errors, was predicted in accordance with specific ITTC guidelines and procedures. Based on the results, the primary bias error source was identified as the pressure inside the cavitation chamber, with the nozzle pressure being the second most significant bias error source. Consequently, it is recommended to perform the bias error prediction based on the ratio of these two, known as the cavitation number. Precision error, crucial for uncertainty, was estimated using five sets of erosion rate values, emphasizing its importance in cavitating waterjet tests. It is anticipated that the suggested methodology will serve as a benchmark for predicting uncertainty levels in cavitating waterjet tests.

Novel torpedo pile combining water-jet technology and vibration loading

Offshore piles are widely used as support and anchoring structures to provide stable support foundations. In this study, a novel torpedo pile is designed that combines water-jet technology and vibration loading to disturb/fluidize the cohesive sediments around the torpedo pile, reduce the resistance between the torpedo pile and cohesive sediments, and increase the efficiency of pile penetration and extraction. Experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of pile penetration and extraction in water-jet and vibration loading scenarios. The results indicated that the combined vibration and water jet method significantly reduced the resistance of the cohesive sediment to the torpedo pile during the pile penetration process, and the pile penetration speed increased as the water-jet pressure increased. The extraction efficiency of the torpedo pile was most significantly improved under the combined vibration and water jet method, and the maximum extraction force of the pile was reduced by approximately 78.2%.

Experimental Research on the Use of a Selected Multi-Criteria Method for the Cutting of Titanium Alloy with an Abrasive Water Jet.

The use of selected multi-criteria decision methods for the optimization of cutting processes by abrasive water jet methods is increasingly being used in industrial processes. This is due to the complexity of the processes and the need to reduce operating costs. Process optimization methods are available to support organizational processes including the design phase, quality assurance, production automation, and many more. This article presents the current state of research on the water-abrasive cutting process and the use of multi-criteria methods in optimizing this process. This article presents a detailed methodological study of the VIKOR approach to optimization, indicating the applicability conditions, assumptions, and limitations on the example of high-pressure abrasive water jet cutting of elements made of titanium alloy utilizing HPX garnet abrasive. As a result of the research conducted, the best input parameters of the cutting process for abrasive flow rate, pressure, and the traverse speed of the cutting process were determined. The achieved result is consistent with the assumption that the most favorable output parameters are the highest cutting depth and the lowest level of roughness.

A phenomenological and quantitative view on the degradation of positive electrodes from spent lithium-ion batteries in humid atmosphere

The present study deals with the phenomenological observation of the corrosion of the positive electrode foil of lithium-ion batteries containing LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NMC) as cathode material. Due to the presence of moisture, localized water accumulation is formed on the NMC surface. The water absorbed by the electrolyte reacts with the NMC under Li+/H+ exchange and the resulting pH increase leads to dissolution of the carrier foil and characteristic salt-like blooms on the NMC surface. With the increase in the relative area occupied by the holes in the aluminum foil per time, a sufficiently suitable parameter was found with which to quantitatively determine the extent of corrosion. The degree of degradation depends on time and ambient humidity. It was shown that functional recycling with the water jet method is no longer applicable for degraded foils, since the mechanical stability of the foils decreases as corrosion progresses. Lithium, aluminum, sulfur and oxygen were detected in the blooms using SEM–EDX and Laser-Induced-Breakdown-Spectroscopy (LIBS). The underlying NMC layer was found to contain mainly aluminum and significantly lower lithium content than the non-degraded material. SEM and Raman microscopy analyses also showed that the active material is also locally degraded and therefore no longer suitable for functional recycling.

ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLICABILITY OF BASALT FIBER-REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES IN VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION

This article presents a description of the properties of basalt fibers and polymer composites containing basalt fibers. Basalt fibers are seen as a potentially beneficial component in composite development, especially for vehicles in transport applications. The article also presents the results of the mechanical properties investigation of the glass-epoxy and basalt-epoxy composites. The composites for testing were prepared using the popular hand lay-up method. The samples were cut from prepared plates using abrasive water jet methods. The obtained samples were tested to evaluate their flexural strength and interlaminar sharing strength. The achieved mechanical properties were compared.

Influence of abrasive water jet and conventional drilling on the fatigue performance of hybrid carbon/flax laminates

Most of the research on hybrid natural fiber composites has been focused on non-structural applications. The aim of this research is to improve the understanding of how to use hybrid natural fiber composites for structural applications, such as in the aerospace and automotive industries. The joining of subassemblies with rivets, bolts, or screws is a prominent feature in these industries, which implies that the presence of holes in the structural members is unavoidable. The study of the effect of holes on the mechanical behavior of these members is therefore imperative, especially given that holes are stress risers. An important factor in the design of open-hole hybrid flax composites is their fatigue behavior under cyclic loading because it accounts for most failures in composite structures. The investigation of this behavior is reported in this study where three types of 16-ply symmetric hybrid composites that were manufactured using woven carbon (C) and unidirectional flax (F), namely, unidirectional (CF[0]), cross-ply (CF[0/90]) and angle-ply (CF[[Formula: see text] 45]) are employed. A circular hole was made in the center of each specimen using either an abrasive water jet or conventional drilling methods. The observed machining-induced critical defect was delamination, which manifested in three forms: peel-up, push-out, and secondary. Stepwise fatigue tests were conducted to determine the damage evolution and high-cycle fatigue strength of each layup. The damage evolution of the material was assessed via stiffness damage, thermographic methods, and dissipated energy per cycle. It was observed that CF[0] layups are unaffected by the machining process and they have an identical high-cycle fatigue strength. For the CF[0/90] and CF[[Formula: see text] 45] layups, conventional drilling specimens have a higher high-cycle fatigue strength than their abrasive water jet counterparts.

Orthogonal experiment on underwater rock breaking by gas–liquid two-phase jet

Cutting and breaking operations are common in underwater drilling and mining engineering. Because the resistance of the underwater environment is reduced, the gas-assisted water jet method improves the rock-breaking performance of ordinary water jets. However, the rock-breaking mechanism of a gas–liquid two-phase jet in an underwater environment is unclear. Furthermore, the influence of the jet parameters on its rock-breaking performance needs to be studied. Therefore, the fundamental structure of an underwater gas–liquid two-phase jet was analyzed further in this work. On this basis, a rock-breaking orthogonal experiment was conducted. The effects of the water jet system pressure, air flow pressure, transverse velocity, and erosion distance on the rock-breaking performance of underwater gas–liquid two-phase jet were investigated. The essential reasons for the variation in jet erosion performance were discussed. Furthermore, the order of importance and significance of the above four factors on the rock-breaking performance were analyzed, and reasonable jet working parameters were determined. The results show that rock breaking is the result of the joint action of the microjet formed by the water-phase jet impact and gas-phase cavitation collapse. In general, the system pressure has the highest impact on the rock-breaking performance. Therefore, a higher water-jet system pressure should be applied in underwater gas–liquid two-phase jet-breaking operations. The preferred values of the working parameters for the test conditions and selected parameters are as follows: air flow pressure = 0.4 MPa, traverse velocity = 3 m/min, and erosion distance = 10 mm. The research results can provide technical guidance and a reference for underwater cutting and breaking operations.

Cold Water Immersion Pretreatment of Post-Consuming Particleboards for Wood Chips Recovery by the Hydromechanical Process

In this research work, the effect of 20-day immersion of various types of reclaimed particleboards on thickness swelling and water absorption is investigated. This simple procedure has been chosen as the pretreatment to facilitate the chips’ recovery by the hydromechanical (water jet) method. Maximum swelling was achieved after 20-day immersion but the differences between 10 and 20-day immersion were small, indicating that the time of 10-day immersion can be chosen as the pretreatment time. It was found that the bond between wood chips’ particles was not completely failed since the permanent swelling after immersion and drying was lower than the maximum swelling. Hence, the proposed method needs to be improved by increasing the cross-section areas of particleboard samples after their breaking in order to create irregular pieces and facilitate the water action against the bond of wood particles.

Experimental study on the depth of abrasion in hydraulic structures using samples of geopolymer concrete

Large quantities of concrete can be destroyed in various hydraulic structures, such as dams, spillways, and stilling basins, due to the long-term effect of water-borne solids. The durability of hydraulic structures is largely determined by the resistance of the concrete surface to mechanical abrasion. Hydro-abrasion is the term for the surface damage caused by a continuous material removal process induced by the impact of water-borne solid particles. This type of progressive deterioration of concrete surfaces is seen in practically all hydraulic constructions, including to varying degrees. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) could be replaced with Geopolymer Cement (GPC). Geopolymer technology has the ability to minimize OPC production's global greenhouse gas emissions. There has already been a lot of work and study done on geopolymer over the last few decades, and it is now conceivable to commercialize this technology. However, more research into the qualities of geopolymer concrete and its capacity to offer study and long-lasting materials is required to ensure that it becomes commercially available and utilized around the world. Abrasion resistance in hydraulic structures is one of the features that has been investigated and worked on experimentally in the laboratory. In this study, three different grades of normal, standard and high-strength GPC were fabricated, in addition to their counterparts of OPC concrete, with different ages (3, 7 and 28) days and the corrosion resistance was tested with a non-standard device (water-jet method) experimentally. Test results revealed that geopolymer concrete outperforms conventional cement-based concrete in terms of wear resistance in all three grades.

Experimental study on the shear performance of the CFRP plate-ECC-concrete composite interface

To solve the problems of early debonding (insufficient use of CFRP) from the reinforced concrete of concrete structures strengthened with CFRP plates, and a limited increase in the load-carrying capacity of reinforced concrete structures strengthened with ECCs, a novel strengthening method containing these two materials was developed in this paper. A CFRP plate-ECC-concrete composite interface was proposed to take full advantages of both the high tensile strength of CFRP plates and the good durability of ECCs with multiple cracks. Single-shear specimens of the CFRP plate-ECC-concrete composite interface were designed for 9 groups and 27 specimens (include a reference group without ECC layer), and the interface treatment method, concrete/ECC strength, and CFRP plate thickness were set as research variables. The test results showed that the specimen with the ECC layer could effectively delay the debonding of the CFRP plate and transfer the interfacial shear stress effectively. The high-pressure water jet method was demonstrated to be a good method for ensuring the effective bonding of concrete and ECC. For single-shear specimens with an ECC layer, the average bearing capacity, ultimate slip, and ultimate strain were 49%, 23%, 42%, respectively, higher than the reference specimen without an ECC layer. With the increase in the thickness of the CFRP plate and concrete/ECC strength, the average ultimate bearing capacity increased by 23%–27% and 37%–39%, respectively. The model of Ferracuti et al. considered more comprehensive factors and fit better with the test results than other models.

The research on axial force of manufacturing metal bellows using water jet incremental forming technology

Metal bellows have been widely used as expansion joints to absorb expansions and contractions in many engineering applications from the start of the century. In conventional metal bellows forming process, the main disadvantages are high cost of tooling required and lack of flexibility. To avoid the disadvantage, this study presents a new metal bellows forming process using water jet incremental forming technology. In this paper, the incremental forming method of high-pressure water jet is used to study the forming technology of bellows.

Experimental investigation and optimization of delamination factors in the drilling of jute fiber–reinforced polymer biocomposites with multiple estimators

Currently, the manufacture of composite structures often requires material removal operations using a cutting tool. Indeed, since biocomposites are generally materials that do not conduct electricity, electro-erosion cannot be utilized. As a result, the processes that can be used not only the unconventional method of abrasive water jet but also conventional machining, such as drilling. Delamination factors (Fd) are widely recognized for controlling the damaged area (delamination) induced by drilling in industry. As discussed in the literature, several approaches are available to evaluate and quantify the delamination surrounding a hole. In this context, the objective of this study is to compare the three Fd evaluation methods that have been most frequently used in previous investigations. To this end, three spindle and feed speeds and three Brad and Spur drills (BSD) tool diameters were selected (L27) for drilling 155-g/m2 density jute fabric–reinforced polyester biocomposites. The desirability function (DF) was further made to optimize the drilling parameters. The response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were applied to validate the results obtained experimentally as well as to predict the behavior of the structure depending on the cutting conditions.

A Study on Material Removal Rate and Surface Roughness of Abrasive Water Jet Machining Process on Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites using Response Surface Methodology

Hybrid metal matrix composite (HMMC) plays a crucial role in the development of better and advanced materials and in their automotive and aeronautical applications. In this investigation also HMMC is prepared using aluminium alloy, as matrix of material and boron nitrate and silicon carbide are chosen for reinforcing material and stir casting method is employed to prepare this new HMMC. The abrasive water jet method is employed for machining the developed HMMCs. The Taguchi approach with ANOVA approach is utilized for optimizing the independent machining parameters to exploit removal rate of material and surface roughness is to be minimized. The Taguchi based response surface methodology(RSM) is utilized for optimizing the machining parameters. Based on the response tables, the rate of feed and stand of distance are more influential parameters on the rate of removal of material and roughness of surface. The optimized machining parameters for improving the rate of removal the material are 100mm/min of FR, 1.5mm SOD and 600gm/min. The 125mm/min FR, 1.5mm SOD and 400gm/min AFR are the optimized machining parameters for minimizing the surface roughness.

Research and Application of Segmentation Unblocking Technology for Horizontal Well Screen

Horizontal well screen completion process has its own advantages, but there are also some problems, in which the screen blockage seriously affects its efficacy. However, due to various factors (such as heavy components in crude oil plugging the sand filter), the implementation of conventional pickling and sand washing operations is not ideal. In response to this problem, this paper proposes a new unblocking technology - segmentation unblocking technology for horizontal well screen. Firstly, on the basis of studying principle of the technology, optimization of water jet method and hydraulic sanding nozzle, nitrogen foam water jet experiment and water jet construction displacement experiment are carried out for horizontal well screen, which laying the foundation for application of segmentation unblocking technology. Further, horizontal well screen segmentation unblocking experiment and oilfield application are carried out. Optimization results of water jet method show that, For large displacement construction with still wellhead, whole section construction selects type of inlet liquid through annulus between oil pipe and casing pipe and outlet liquid through oil pipe. For small displacement construction with frequent dynamic wellhead, segmentation construction selects type of inlet liquid through oil pipe and outlet liquid through annulus between oil pipe and casing pipe. Optimization results of hydraulic sanding nozzle show that Streamlined nozzle is better than nozzle with iso variable. Experiment results of horizontal well screen segmentation unblocking show that, segmentation unblocking technology can effectively improve productivity of horizontal well and oilfield application achieved good results. Five wells were shut-in, periodic shut-in or low production before segmentation unblocking. After segmentation unblocking, daily oil increment can reach 23.57 t, and interval cumulative oil increment can reach 4756 t.

Water abrasion and drop-mass impact of mono and hybrid steel fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete

In addition to strength, the durability of concrete is a major characteristic to measure its quality. Abrasion and accidental impacts are types of loads that negatively influence the strength and durability of concrete. This article aims to compare the water-impact and drop-mass impact resistances of reactive powder concrete (RPC). Three mixtures of RPC were prepared to evaluate their abrasion resistance using the water jet method in addition to their impact resistance using the repeated drop-mass impact test based on the ACI 544-2R repeated impact procedure. All of the three mixtures have same material properties and a fiber content of 2.5% by volume. One of them contains steel fiber with length of 6 mm, the second contains 15 mm steel fiber, and the last one contains a combination of 15 and 6 mm steel fibers. The experimental work results showed that the mixture contains 15 mm steel fibers showed the best abrasion and impact resistances, while the combination of 15 and 6 mm steel fibers showed the lowest impact resistance and the lowest abrasion resistance at the first six hours. The resulted compressive strength values were close, but that of the sample contains 15 mm fibers was the highest.

Abrasive water jet machining on Ti metal-interleaved basalt-flax fiber laminate

ABSTRACT Machining of high strength and shock-absorbent Metal Fiber Laminate (MFL) becomes inevitable to attain the geometric shape and size, as to validate the functionality in various impact protection environments. A class of titanium metal laminate alternatively interleaved with high strength basalt and shock absorbing flax fibers have been machined with an abrasive water jet method. Machining experiment trials with WJP-water jet pressure, TS-traverse speed, SOD-stand-off distance, and AMFR-abrasive flow rate and parametric optimization on quality factors of surface roughness (Ra) and kerf ratio (KR) were done using a Central Composite Design (CCD)-Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Experimental investigation reveals that the surface roughness and kerf ratio significantly decreased by 27.59% and 9.16% as water jet pressure was increased to peak value. Similarly, abrasive mass flow rate raised to its higher value, the Ra and KR slightly decreased by a margin of 6.5% and 2.5%. However, a reverse effect on surface roughness and kerf ratio was observed as an increase of SOD and TS. Surface topology analysis reveals that the material removal mechanism of the Ti sheet is shear plastic deformation with plowing marks, that of basalt fiber is brittle fracture with micro-chipping, and that of flax fiber is bulk machining.

An Investigation on Cutting of the MWCNTs-Doped Composite Plates by AWJ

In this study, cutting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-doped composite sheets by abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) and the effects of the water jet on cut composite materials were analyzed. The influence of MWCNTs doping to glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite plates was investigated. In addition, mechanical properties of doped composite and the effects of cutting by AWJM method were determined. It has been found that the addition of nanoparticles to layered glass fiber composite materials plays an effective role in the strength of the material and affects the abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting quality. Additionally, composite materials were drilled using different water jet cutting parameters such as cutting speed, fixed nozzle diameter, cutting pressure and abrasive garnet. The entry–exit hole diameter, kerf, delamination, splintering, burring, thickness and hardness change were investigated. As the cutting speed increased, rotational slip, cutting start point, circularity and circular error increased. The thickness of the composites cut by water jet method increased and surface hardness decreased due to delamination. As the cutting speed increased, the hole inlet and outlet dimensions increased, which leads to an increased in size of the kerf.