Title: Numerical modelling of kerf geometry in abrasive water jet machining

Authors: Ambuj Saxena, S. Paul

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India

Abstract: Abrasive Water Jet (AWJ) machining is gaining acceptance and popularity under actual shop floor conditions as a mature machining technology. This requires thorough experimental and numerical research to utilise the full potential of the technology. This work proposes a numerical modelling technique to study the effect of different process parameters on kerf characteristics. The implemented numerical model not only captures the individual effect of process parameters on kerf characteristics like depth of penetration, kerf shape and surface roughness, but also most importantly matches the trend between two processed features of the kerf namely Taper quality parameter and Cutting ability parameter.

Keywords: abrasive waterjets; waterjet cutting; AWJ; numerical modelling; kerf characteristics; taper quality; cutting ability; process parameters; depth of penetration; kerf shape; surface roughness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAT.2007.015385

International Journal of Abrasive Technology, 2007 Vol.1 No.2, pp.208 - 230

Published online: 12 Oct 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article