In recent years, advances in entrainment based abrasive waterjet (AWJ) technology have led to commercial systems which operate at increasingly high water pressures. The motivation for these improved systems is higher cutting speeds for manufacturing applications. For certain applications, parameters such as overall system size, weight, cost and consumption parameters such as water and abrasive consumption take precedent over cutting speed. For example, for materials which are relatively easy to machine, adequate cutting speeds may be achieved using low pressure, and hence low cost, AWJ cutting systems. Similarly, portable AWJ systems require minimum system size and weight. For applications where abrasive and water contamination is an issue, minimization of the abrasive and water consumption rates is critical. In this study, the performance of entrainment based AWJ cutting at low pressures in the range of 35-140 MPa is evaluated. Conditions which provide abrasive entrainment are identified. A series of trials are performed to determine the depth of cut in mild steel as a function of various AWJ parameters. An empirical cutting model is developed. Finally, the effect of standoff distance, multiple passes and abrasive type on cutting performance is evaluated.
展开▼
