Title: Hole-drilling using abrasive water jet in titanium

Authors: Shijin Zhang, Yuqiong Wu, Deshu Chen

Addresses: College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China. ' College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China. ' College of Mechanical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China

Abstract: Titanium alloys are increasingly used due to their relative lightness, ductility, and good fatigue and corrosion-resistance properties. However, machining these alloys is a challenge, which prevents them from being used more extensively. As a new technology, the abrasive water jet (AWJ) process has gained immense popularity owing to numerous advantages such as absence of heat-affected zone and no residual stress. This paper systematically investigated titanium hole drilling processes using AWJ, which includes static piercing, dynamic piercing, and a hole-cutting process. Experimental results showed that, by using proper parameters, optimal performance can be achieved which not only lowers the machining cost, but also achieves vertical criterion on hole wall sides.

Keywords: titanium alloys; abrasive water jets; AWJ cutting; hole drilling; static piercing; dynamic piercing; hole cutting; water jet cutting.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMM.2011.038160

International Journal of Machining and Machinability of Materials, 2011 Vol.9 No.1/2, pp.47 - 65

Published online: 30 Dec 2014 *

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