Abrasive waterjet micro-machining of channels in metals: Comparison between machining in air and submerged in water

Abrasive water jet technology can be used for micro-milling using recently developed miniaturized nozzles. Abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining is often used with both the nozzle tip and workpiece submerged in water to reduce noise and contain debris. This paper compares the performance of submerged and unsubmerged abrasive water jet micro-milling of channels in 316L stainless steel and 6061-T6 aluminum at various nozzle angles and standoff distances. The effect of submergence on the diameter and effective footprint of AWJ erosion footprints was measured and compared. It was found that the centerline erosion rate decreased with channel depth due to the spreading of the jet as the effective standoff distance increased, and because of the growing effect of stagnation as the channel became deeper. The erosive jet spread over a larger effective footprint in air than in water, since particles on the jet periphery were slowed much more quickly in water due to increased drag. As a result, the width of a channel machined in air was wider than that in water. Moreover, it was observed that the instantaneous erosion rate decreased with channel depth, and that this decrease was a function only of the channel cross-sectional geometry, being independent of the type of metal, the jet angle, the standoff distance, and regardless of whether the jet was submerged or in air, in either the forward or backward directions. It is shown that submerged AWJM results in narrower features than those produced while machining in air, without a decrease in centerline etch rate.     

The effects of blast lag in abrasive jet machined micro-channel intersections

Abrasive jet micro-machining (AJM) uses compressed air carrying abrasive solid particles to micro-machine a variety of features into surfaces. If the feature sizes are less than the size of the abrasive jet footprint, then a patterned erosion-resistant mask is used to protect the substrate material, leaving exposed areas to define the features. Previous investigations have revealed a ‘blast lag’ phenomenon in which, for the same dose of abrasive particles, narrower mask openings lead to channels that are shallower than wider ones. Blast lag occurs when using AJM on brittle substrates because of the natural tendency to rapidly form a V-shaped cross-sectional profile which inhibits abrasive particle strikes on the narrow vertex at the feature centerline. In this paper, the blast lag phenomenon is studied when using AJM to machine a network of microfluidic channels. It is found that, in some cases, differences in blast lag occurring at channel intersections and within the channels themselves, can lead to channel networks of nonuniform depth. A previously developed surface evolution model is adapted to allow prediction of the onset of blast lag in the channels and intersections and thus explain these differences. Finally, methods to eliminate the differences are discussed.     

几种火焰喷焊自熔性合金层的耐磨性能

研究了不同自熔性合金粉末火焰喷焊层的显微组织与抗磨粒磨损性能，并对其磨面形貌进行了ＳＥＭ观察分析。结果表明，在Ｎｉ６０自熔性合金中加入适量的镍包ＷＣ粉末可明显提高其喷焊层的抗磨粒磨损性能。当ＷＣ的加入量为３５％（ｗｔ）左右时，该喷焊层与６０Ｓｉ２Ｍｎ调质钢相比，相对的耐磨性可提高６倍以上。     

Modeling of waterjet guided laser grooving of silicon

Waterjet guided laser processing is an internationally patented technique based on guiding a laser inside a thin, high-speed waterjet. The process combines the advantages of laser processing with those of waterjet cutting and offers promise as a method for processing thin and heat sensitive materials with a high degree of precision. An improved understanding of the complex interaction between laser, waterjet, and workpiece is required to enable the process to achieve its potential. A model for waterjet guided laser grooving of silicon is presented that treats the energy input of the laser, the cooling effect of the waterjet, and the melting and removal of the silicon. The thermal process is represented in detail in the new method. The model is validated by comparisons of simulation and experimental results, and the simulation provides insight regarding the details of the interactions among laser, waterjet, and workpiece.     

Investigation of process parameters influence in abrasive water jet cutting of D2 steel

In the present experimental study, abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting tests were conducted on D2 steel by different jet impingement angles and abrasive mesh sizes. The experimental data was statistically analyzed using the simos–grey relational method and ANOVA test. In addition, the outcome of influencing cutting parameters, namely jet pressure, jet impingement angle, and abrasive mesh size on the different response parameters, namely, the jet penetration, material removal rate, taper ratio, roughness, and topography, were studied. Micro-hardness test and surface morphology analysis were employed to examine the D2 cut surfaces at different AWJ cutting conditions. The chemical element study was performed to determine the abrasive particle contamination in the AWJ kerf wall cut surfaces. The ANOVA test result indicated the jet pressure and jet impingement angle as the influencing process parameters affecting the various performance characteristics of AWJ cutting. The overall AWJ cutting performance of the D2 steel has been improved through proper identification of the optimal process parameter settings, namely jet pressure 225?MPa, abrasive mesh size #100, and jet impingement angle 70° by the simos–grey relational analysis.     

Optimization of process parameters affecting surface roughness in magnetic abrasive finishing process

Development in manufacturing technology enhances the mechanical behavior of machined parts and improves the surface finish with high precision, which conveys the progressive importance of magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process. In current research work, magnetic abrasive particles were used as finishing tools during the MAF process. However, these magnetic abrasives are fabricated by special techniques, i.e., the adhesive bonding-based method, the sintering method, the plasma-based method and so on. The present study explores the basic finishing characteristics of the magnetic abrasive produced by the sintering process. After the sintering process, improved quality of magnetic abrasives was obtained, where the abrasive particle sticks on the base metal matrix. The abrasive particle used is alumina powder and the magnetic particle is iron powder. Experiments were performed on Stainless Steel 202 to inspect the sound effects of several process parameters such as rotational speed, electromagnet voltage, machining gap and abrasive particle size on machining performance. Apart from that, surface roughness was also measured, which revealed the influence of the abrasive particle on the machined surface in terms of surface finish. It is observed from this study that appropriate size of magnetic abrasive particle optimizes the surface finish.     

Surface integrity studies on abrasive water jet cutting of AISI D2 steel

This article investigates the 3D surface topography and 2D roughness profiles, and micrographs were analyzed in the abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting of AISI D2 steel kerf wall cut surfaces by varying water jet pressures and jet impact angles. In 3D surface topography, roughness parameters such as Sq, Ssk, Sp, Sv, Sku, Sz, and Sa were improved by various jet impact angles with different water jet pressures. However, the roughness parameters Ssk and Sku strongly depend on the water jet pressure and jet impact angle. This is confirmed by kerf wall cut profile structures. Fine irregularities of peaks and valleys are found on the AWJ cut surfaces, as evident from 2D roughness profiles. The scanning electron microscope micrographs confirm the production of an upper zone not very much damaged and a lower striation free bottom zone, by using the jet impact angle of 70° with a water jet pressure of 200?MPa. Finally, the results indicate a jet impact angle of 70° maintaining the surface integrity of D2 steel better than normal jet impact angle of 90°. The results are useful in mating applications subjected to wear and friction. This has resulted in enhancement of the functionality of the AWJ machined D2 steel components.     

Optimal parameters identification and sensitivity study for abrasive waterjet milling model

In this paper we present the work related to the parameters identification for abrasive waterjet milling (AWJM) model that appears as an ill-posed inverse problem. The necessity of studying this problem comes from the industrial milling applications where the possibility to predict and model the final surface with high accuracy is one of the primary tasks in the absence of any knowledge of the model parameters that should be used. The adjoint approach based on corresponding Lagrangian gives the opportunity to find out the unknowns of the AWJM model and their optimal values that could be used to reproduce the required trench profile. Due to the complexity of the nonlinear problem and the large number of the model parameters, we use an automatic differentiation software tool. This approach also gives us the ability to distribute the research on more complex cases and consider different types of model errors and 3D time dependent model with variations of the jet feed speed. This approach gives us a good opportunity to identify the optimal model parameters and predict the surface profile both with self-generated data and measurements obtained from the real production. Considering different types of model errors allows us to receive the results acceptable in manufacturing and to expect the proper identification of unknowns.     

Empirical approach to develop a multilayer icebonded abrasive polishing tool for ultrafine finishing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

This paper covers the development of a multilayer icebonded abrasive polishing (IBAP) tool for multistage polishing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy specimens based on a systematic study that determined the number of layers, thickness of each layer, and the type, size and concentration of abrasives in each layer. Based on this study, a three-layered IBAP tool with the bottom layer consisting of soft aluminum oxide abrasives of 3?µm size with 5% concentration, the middle layer with moderately hard silicon carbide abrasives of 8?µm size with 10% concentration and the top layer with hard boron carbide abrasives of 15?µm size with 30% concentration was formulated for ultrafine finishing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy specimen in a single setup. The performance of the three-layered IBAP tool assessed in terms of finish and morphology over the work surface showed 81% improvement in surface finish, showing its effectiveness over a single-layered IBAP tool. Polishing studies have clearly demonstrated the generation of ultrafine surfaces, yielding a finish of 37?nm while the morphological studies on the polished surface have shown a nearly scratch-free surface on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

Effects of temperature on the tribological behavior of Al0.25CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy

The tribological behavior of Al_0.25CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) sliding against Si₃N₄ ball was investigated from room temperature to 600 ℃. The microstructure of the alloys was characterized by simple FCC phase with 260 HV. Below 300 ℃, with increasing temperature, the wear rate increased due to high temperature softening. The wear rate remained stabilized above 300 ℃ due to the anti-wear effect of the oxidation film on the contact interface. The dominant wear mechanism of HEA changed from abrasive wear at room temperature to delamination wear at 200 ℃, then delamination wear and oxidative wear at 300 ℃ and became oxidative above 300 ℃. Moreover, the adhesive wear existed concomitantly below 300 ℃.