Analysis and Optimization of Process Parameters in Abrasive Waterjet Contour Cutting of AISI 304L

Abstract

Abrasive waterjet machining is applied in various industries for contour cutting of heat-sensitive and difficult-to-cut materials like austenitic stainless steel 304L, with the goal of ensuring high surface integrity and efficiency. In alignment with this manufacturing aspiration, experimental analysis and optimization were carried out on abrasive waterjet machining of austenitic stainless steel 304L with the objectives of minimizing surface roughness and maximizing material removal rate. In this machining process, process parameters are critical factors influencing contour cutting performance. Accordingly, Taguchi’s S/N ratio method has been used in this study for the optimization of process parameters. Further in this work, the impacts of input parameters are investigated, including waterjet pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, traverse speed and material thickness on material removal rate and surface roughness. The study reveals that an increasing level of waterjet pressure and abrasive mass flow rate achieved better surface integrity and higher material removal values. The average S/N ratio results indicate an optimum value of waterjet pressure at 300 MPa and abrasive mass flow rate of 500 g/min achieved minimum surface roughness and maximum material removal rate. It was also found that an optimized value of a traverse speed at 90 mm/min generates the lowest surface roughness and 150 mm/min produces the highest rate of material removed. Moreover, analysis of variance in the study showed that material thickness was the most influencing parameter on surface roughness and material removal rate, with a percentage contribution ranging 90.72–97.74% and 65.55–78.17%, respectively.

Experimental and Statistical Study of High-Pressure Water Jet “Hydro-Demolition Technique” on Concrete for Partial-Depth Concrete Bridge Deck Repair Applications

“…Also, the value of P is less than 0.001 for all three parameters, as shown in Table 8. This is in agreement with previous studies that show that water pressure has a very high effect on the AWJ cutting process compared with other parameters ( 22 ). Therefore, changing the water pressure will have the greatest effect on the removal rate of the concrete.…”

Research Progress in Abrasive Water Jet Processing Technology

“…Joel et al [ 90 ] used the multiobjective teaching learning method in the abrasive water jet cutting of C360 brass for minimum surface roughness, maximum material removal rate, and hardness as the optimized target levels and experimentally verified that the optimum combination was an abrasive supply rate of 250 g/min, an interval distance of 2 mm, and a nozzle speed of 44 mm/min. Llanto et al [ 91 ] used Taguchi’s S/N ratio method in the abrasive water jet cutting of austenitic stainless steel 304L for the reduction in surface roughness and the maximum material removal rate as the target-level characteristics for the cutting process parameters (jet pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, travel speed, and thickness of material being processed) were optimized to obtain the optimum combination of parameters for minimum surface roughness and maximum material removal rate, respectively. It is also pointed out that the thickness of the processed material is the most significant and influential control factor on the surface roughness and material removal rate.…”

Study of the effect of heat treatment of copper slag particles on abrasiveness for abrasive waterjet cutting

“…Until recently, research aimed at reducing the cost of the WJC process through abrasive materials was conducted in two directions: 1) reducing abrasive mass consumption by optimizing the processing parameters [7,8], or, 2) replacing garnet with a cheaper, more accessible abrasive with similar cutting characteristics [9][10][11].…”