A study on turning with abrasive waterjets.

摘要

A new kind of lathe, based on abrasive waterjet (AWJ) as the cutting tool, was designed, built and used to perform the experiments. The abrasive waterjet lathe (AWJL) was capable of turning outside diameter and facing operations. No attempts were made to provide facilities to perform other operations done on conventional lathe. However, limited capabilities were available to drill holes and perform linear cutting. This dissertation presents experimental and theoretical results of an investigation of turning with waterjets.; The experimental investigation consisted of parameteric turning tests, visualization tests, and additional tests to elucidate the nature of turning operations. The parameteric tests were predominantly conducted with 6061-T651 aluminum. Other workpiece materials included 15-5 stainless steel, 642 aluminum bronze, iron-titanium carbide (Fe-TiC), magnesium boron carbide, aluminum silicon carbide, zirconia, and several super alloys. The tests were conducted to observe the effect of the depth of cut, traverse speed, abrasive flow rate, abrasive particle size and material. Results are reported in terms of volume removal rate and surface finish. The AWJL was found superior to conventional lathe in the case of hard-to-machine-materials. For example, titanium carbide can be machined 5-10 times faster than conventional processes.; The visualization of the cutting process revealed that the jet-material interaction occurs primarily on the face rather than the circumference of the workpiece. This significant observation was used to explain many of the data trends and also used in the development of a turning model.; The turning model adapted linear AWJ cutting equations to determine the volume removal rate, and consequently express the final diameter in terms of AWJ and cutting parameters. The model yields similar trends to those observed experimentally. The model has been validated with experimental observations, but further efforts are required, especially in identifying relevant material properties.