Abrasive waterjet machining simulation by SPH method

Abrasive waterjet machining (AWJM) is a non-conventional process. The mechanism of material removing in AWJM for ductile materials and existing erosion models are reviewed in this paper. To overcome the difficulties of fluid–solid interaction and extra-large deformation problem using finite element method (FEM), the SPH-coupled FEM modeling for abrasive waterjet machining simulation is presented, in which the abrasive waterjet is modeled by SPH particles and the target material is modeled by FE. The two parts interact through contact algorithm. The creativity of this model is multi-materials SPH particles, which contain abrasive and water and mix together uniformly. To build the model, a randomized algorithm is proposed. The material model for the abrasive is first presented. Utilizing this model, abrasive waterjet penetrating the target materials with high velocity is simulated and the mechanism of erosion is depicted. The relationship between the depth of penetration and jet parameters, including water pressure and traverse speed, etc., are analyzed based on the simulation. The results agree with the experimental data well. It will be a benefit to understand the abrasive waterjet cutting mechanism and optimize the operating parameters.     

Abrasive Waterjet Machining Simulation by Coupling Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics / Finite Element Method

In dealing with abrasive waterjet machining(AWJM) simulation,most literatures apply finite element method(FEM) to build pure waterjet models or single abrasive particle erosion models.To overcome the mesh distortion caused by large deformation using FEM and to consider the effects of both water and abrasive,the smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH) coupled FEM modeling for AWJM simulation is presented,in which the abrasive waterjet is modeled by SPH particles and the target material is modeled by FEM.The two parts interact through contact algorithm.Utilizing this model,abrasive waterjet with high velocity penetrating the target materials is simulated and the mechanism of erosion is depicted.The relationships between the depth of penetration and jet parameters,including water pressure and traverse speed,etc,are analyzed based on the simulation.The simulation results agree well with the existed experimental data.The mixing multi-materials SPH particles,which contain abrasive and water,are adopted by means of the randomized algorithm and material model for the abrasive is presented.The study will not only provide a new powerful tool for the simulation of abrasive waterjet machining,but also be beneficial to understand its cutting mechanism and optimize the operating parameters.     

Effects of process parameters on surface roughness in abrasive waterjet cutting of aluminium

Abrasive waterjet cutting is a novel machining process capable of processing wide range of hard-to-cut materials. Surface roughness of machined parts is one of the major machining characteristics that play an important role in determining the quality of engineering components. This paper shows the influence of process parameters on surface roughness (R_a) which is an important cutting performance measure in abrasive waterjet cutting of aluminium. Taguchi’s design of experiments was carried out in order to collect surface roughness values. Experiments were conducted in varying water pressure, nozzle traverse speed, abrasive mass flow rate and standoff distance for cutting aluminium using abrasive waterjet cutting process. The effects of these parameters on surface roughness have been studied based on the experimental results.     

An investigation of the hole machining processes on woven carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) using abrasive waterjets

An investigation of the hole cutting and drilling processes on woven carbon-fiber reinforced polymer sheets using abrasive waterjet (AWJ) is presented. The drilling process uses a stationary AWJ to impinge a target material to make a hole, while the cutting process requires an AWJ to penetrate the workpiece before moving in a circular path to cut a hole. It is found that the holes machined by both the processes exhibit similar geometrical features, where the diameter at the top is greater than at the bottom. It is further found that the holes from the drilling process have a better roundness than those from cutting process primarily due to the jet instability during cutting movement. Plausible trends of the hole characteristics (e.g., diameter and wall inclination) and defects (e.g., delamination) with respect to the process parameters are discussed. It is shown that water pressure is the major parameter affecting hole defects. The hole drilling process yields more severe defects than the cutting process because of the initial impact of the jet. Predictive models for machined hole diameter in both processes are developed. The model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data under the corresponding conditions.     

Monitoring of abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting using sound detection

Our main objective in the present work is to develop a methodology and create a system for the abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining process control. In the case of AWJ cutting, besides the cutting head traverse rate, the distance between the mixing tube and the workpiece, designated as the stand-off distance, has a predominant influence on the workpiece quality. The control of the traverse rate is performed by the machine controller. The stand off-distance control during the machining represents a problem because no effective on-line in real-time stand-off distance detection system has been developed yet. The detection of the stand-off distance during cutting enables better AWJ machining process control. order to monitor the stand-off distance, we measure the emitted sound generated during the AWJ straight cut operation and analyse its characteristic attributes. In order to verify the proposed stand-off distance monitoring methods, a set of experiments was carried out. The signal analysis was performed in both time and frequency domain. The obtained results show an evident influence of the stand-off distance on sound emission. Thus, efficient control of the AWJ cutting process through sound detection appears to be viable.     

Modelling the erosion rate in micro abrasive air jet machining of glasses

Micro abrasive jet machining (MAJM) is an economical and efficient technology for micro-machining of brittle material like glasses. The erosion of brittle materials by solid micro-particles is a complex process in which material is removed from the target surface by brittle fractures. The rate of material removal is one of the most important quantities for a machining process. Predictive mathematical models for the erosion rates in micro-hole drilling and micro-channel cutting on glasses with an abrasive air jet are developed. A dimensional analysis technique is used to formulate the models as functions of the particle impact parameters, target material properties and the major process parameters that are known to affect the erosion process of brittle materials. The predictive capability of the models is assessed and verified by an experimental investigation covering a range of the common process parameters such as air pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, stand-off distance and machining time (for hole machining) or traverse speed (for channel machining). It shows that model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

An erosion-based model for abrasive waterjet turning of ductile materials

This paper presents an attempt to model the abrasive waterjet (AWJ) turning process considering material removal from the circumference of a rotating cylindrical specimen. The methodology involves the use of Finnie's theory of erosion to estimate the volume of material removed by the impacting abrasive particles. The proposed model considers the impact of jet at an angle to the workpiece surface to account for the curvature of the workpiece. Unlike earlier works, this model considers the continuous change in local impact angle caused by the change in workpiece diameter. The flow stress of the workpiece material is determined using a novel experiment involving the same abrasive and workpiece materials. The adequacy of the proposed model is examined through AWJ turning tests under various process parameter combinations. The final diameters predicted by the model are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results.     

ENHANCING THE DEPTH OF CUT IN ABRASIVE WATERJET CUTTING OF ALUMINA CERAMICS BY USING MULTIPASS CUTTING WITH NOZZLE OSCILLATION

An experimental investigation is presented to increase the depth of cut in abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting of alumina ceramics by introducing a new cutting technique combining multipass operations with controlled nozzle oscillation. Plausible trends of the depth of cut per pass and total depth of cut with respect to the number of passes and the parameters in each pass are discussed. It shows that cutting with nozzle oscillation can significantly increase the depth of cut in the single-pass cutting mode, while further gains in the depth of cut can be made by using multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation. While multipass cutting can be used to increase the total depth of cut for machining thicker materials, it has been found that an average increase of 50.8% in the total depth of cut can be expected by using multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation as compared to single-pass cutting without nozzle oscillation within the same cutting time. Recommendations are finally made as a practical guide for the selection of process parameters in multipass AWJ cutting of alumina ceramics with controlled nozzle oscillation.     

Numerical simulation of single particle acceleration process by SPH coupled FEM for abrasive waterjet cutting

The existing numerical simulations of hydrodynamic characteristics of abrasive waterjet in a cutting head were mainly based on Eulerian grid or arbitrary Lagrange–Eulerian grid method to establish computational fluid dynamics models. However, using these two methods, the abrasive and water were premixed and given an identical initial velocity, which were different from the mixing and acceleration processes of abrasive in the cutting head. This paper presents a more suitable numerical model that the abrasive particle enters into the mixing chamber in a low velocity and is accelerated in the focus tube by a high-speed waterjet from the orifice. In order to model this mixing-and-acceleration process of abrasive and high-speed waterjet, the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) coupled finite element method (FEM) is adopted, in which SPH particles are used to model the high-speed waterjet to adapt its extremely large deformation and FEM is applied to model the discrete abrasive particle, cutting head, and workpiece. As a result, evolution of abrasive and waterjet velocities along focus tube is analyzed; trajectory of single abrasive particle in focus tube is sighted; the relationships between abrasive particle velocities and different water pressures are described; the rule of outlet velocities of abrasive particle vs. dimensionless ratio of diameter is conducted; depth of penetration caused by single abrasive particle impact is obtained. The current model is validated by the existing theoretical and experimental data.     

射流束切削时在边壁约束下的直径增大变形及加工表面质量研究

利用氯化钠晶粒射流切削生物骨材料时,射流束变形可能会导致骨材料切削断面产生预期之外的损伤,不利于生物组织的后期恢复。为探索射流束切削加工时在边壁约束下产生的变形,以及相应加工表面的质量特点,设计了磨料水射流切削可视化实验。使用高速摄影机拍摄磨料水射流加工过程,利用可视化手段观测射流束变形情况,并使用表面粗糙度Ra表征加工表面质量。研究发现,射流束在前端边壁与两侧边壁共同约束下存在沿切削进给方向的直径增大变形,该变形使加工表面粗糙度沿切深的减小幅度增大及出现频率增多。最后对表面粗糙度Ra沿切割深度的变化数据进行二次处理,提出了一种新的建立磨料水射流切削材料表面粗糙度预测模型的思路。     

Numerical simulation for abrasive water jet machining based on ALE algorithm

In dealing with fluid impact and large deformation problems by traditional Lagrange grid, calculation failure often happens due to grid distortion. An abrasive water jet machining model is created to simulate the whole stage by software LS-DYNA from the jet into the nozzle to the workpiece material removal process using ALE (Arbitrary Lagrange–Euler) algorithm. The mesh for the abrasive and water is based on the ALE formulation, while the target mesh applies the Lagrange formulation. The effect of jet penetration is implemented by coupling the grids of ALE and Lagrange. The jet traverse speed is achieved by definition of the movement of ALE grid to reduce the mesh domain. The abrasive constitutive equations are also presented in this paper. The uniform mixture for abrasive and water is achieved by definition of volume percentage of the two materials in the initial ALE elements. Simulation results give the relationships between processing parameters and the cutting depth. The good agreement between simulation results and experimental data verifies the correctness of the simulation.     

An Experimental Study to Enhance the Cutting Performance in Abrasive Waterjet Machining

An experimental study to enhance the cutting performance in abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining is presented. The study uses the techniques of jet forward impact angles and multipass operations both individually and concurrently when cutting an alumina ceramic and a polymer matrix composite. A brief report on the effect of jet impact angle in single pass cutting is made first, which shows that the optimum jet impact angle for both the ceramics and polymer matrix composite is about 80°. It is found that the multipass cutting technique can increase the cutting capability and application domain of AWJ cutting. It can also improve the major cutting performance such as the depth of cut as compared to single pass cutting within the same total cutting time. The benefit of using multipass cutting operations is further enhanced when it is combined with a jet forward angle of 80° in cutting alumina ceramics.     

The optimal cutting times of multipass abrasive water jet cutting

Cutting is one of the most important applications of abrasive water jet. However, there are always some quality defects in the cross section cut by abrasive water jet. It is found that multipass abrasive water jet cutting can effectively improve the cutting quality. In this paper, two types of multipass water jet cutting were summarized and redefined clearly first. Then, taking AISI 304 stainless steel as the workpiece, the cross sections after cutting with different cutting times were analyzed and compared with that after single cutting. The overall roughness and the overall taper of the section were obtained by a reasonable method. Besides, in order to give consideration to both the cutting quality and the processing time, the concept of quality improvement rate was put forward. On this basis, with the improvement rate as the index, the optimal cutting times for cutting AISI 304 stainless steel with multipass abrasive water jet were analyzed from two aspects of surface quality and kerf taper, and the optimal cutting times of cutting other materials by multipass abrasive water jet can be studied according to the same idea. The study of this paper provides important reference for the application of multipass abrasive water jet cutting.     

Technical-economic evaluation of abrasive recycling in the suspension fine jet process chain

Abrasive waterjet generation methods such as the conventional injection jet method and the suspension jet method have a strong influence on properties and costs of the machined products, particularly ones made of difficult-to-machine materials, e.g., ceramics. Since recycling may reduce the needed amount of materials significantly, the same holds true for recycling processes and technologies within the process chains of abrasive waterjet methods. In this paper, a methodology for integrated technical-economic evaluation of processes is presented and applied to the process technology of abrasive recycling in the suspension fine jet process chain aiming to show the technology’s technical as well as economic potential. Research and development regarding such processes and technologies may contribute to gain competitive advantages for companies as they can differentiate from competitors by offering or processing materials with distinctive properties and/or lower prices causing customer’s benefit. Consequently, it is also of great importance for companies applying waterjet cutting methods to know whether and which recycling technologies are promising from both a technical and an economic point of view. Experiments show that a significant share of the input material (abrasive particles) can be reused after recycling. The monetary appraisal reveals that technical potential results in considerably lower costs compared to the suspension jet method without recycling.     

Radial-mode abrasive waterjet turning of short carbon–fiber-reinforced plastics

An experimental study is carried out for single-pass radial-mode abrasive waterjet (AWJ) turning of a short carbon–fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) specimen to understand the machining process and the effects of major process variables (feed speed, water pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, nozzle tilt angle, and rotational surface speed) on the major machining performance measures, that is, the depth of cut, material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness. It is found that high water pressure, normal nozzle impact angle and high rotational speed with suitably selected feed speed and abrasive flow rate may be selected to achieve a high MRR without significantly compromising the surface roughness. Mathematical models for the three cutting performance measures are then developed for use in process control.     

磨料水射流加工技术的研究现状

磨料水射流加工是一种新型的特种加工方法，由于它具有无热影响、加工力小、多功能等优点，已越来越多地应用于一些难加工材料的切削加工中。文中综述了磨料水射流的切割性能、切割机理、切割模型的建立以及提高加工表面质量的方法。最后综述了磨料水射流在车削、铣削和钻削中的应用。     

Vibration emission as a potential source of information for abrasive waterjet quality process control

The paper deals with basic research of vibration generated at abrasive waterjet cutting of materials and their analysis of frequency spectrum in the plane cut. As an experimental material, stainless steel AISI 309 has been used. Experimentally controlled factor involved in the experiment was abrasive mass flow rate with values m _a ?=?250 and 400 g min^?1 at a constant traverse speed v?=?100 mm min^?1. The vibrations were recorded during experimental cutting by sensors PCB IMI type 607A11 placed on experimental material along the cut at a distance of 50 mm from the cutting plane. Data collection was carried by NI PXI measurement system and frequency analyzer Microlog GX-S. Signal was evaluated by virtual instrument created in the object-programming environment LabView 8.5. Various sizes of amplitudes were observed depending on the distance of abrasive waterjet cutting process from the beginning of the cut. Two peaks of frequency bands have been also found: the first between 500 and 600 Hz and the other at approximately 12.5 kHz. Using this method is possible to ensure the determination of technology efficiency of the material removal process.     

A finite element-based model for pure waterjet process simulation

The utilization of abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting/drilling, and in particular its application into hard-to-cut materials, is growing. However, the mechanics of AWJ cutting is complex; the material removal process is not fully understood and, consequently, it has not been accurately modeled. In the current study, work was undertaken to mesh in a first stage the waterflow into the waterjet nozzle in order to use the finite element (FE) method to simulate the pure waterjet flow. The main objective is to investigate and analyze in detail the workpiece material behavior under waterjet impingement; a non-linear FE model (using LS-DYNA 3D code) has been developed, which simulates the erosion of the target material caused by the high-pressure waterjet flow. A combination of Eulerian–Langrangian elements is used for the waterjet and the target material, respectively, in order to handle their interaction. Damaged zones can be localized on impinged materials. Elements’ failure is handled by introducing a threshold strain after which Langrangian elements are removed. The results obtained from this numerical simulation (velocity profile, stress, erosion stages) show a good agreement with the results from previous experimental work that is available in bibliography. The next step of the research will be focused on the simulation of the whole procedure using various abrasives.     

磨料水射流加工工程陶瓷工艺参数对加工效率的影响

研究用磨料水射流加工工程陶瓷，通过分析各工艺参数对加工效率的影响，提出了一种优选工艺参数的方法。