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.