A

TECHNICAL SEMINAR REPORT

ON
WATER JET MACHINING PROCESS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the

Degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

IN

MECHANICALENGINEERING

Of

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITYHYDERABAD

Submitted By

P. GANESH (14281A0340)

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

KAMALA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

(Approved by AICTE & Affiliated to J.N.T.U, Hyderabad)

SINGAPUR , HUZRABAD, KARIMNAGAR -505468 (T.S.)

(2017-2018)
 KAMALA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE
SINGAPUR, HUZRABAD
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr P.GANESH (14281A0340) of B .Tech certification work

for technical seminar entitled “ WATER JET MACHINING PROCESS” towards the
partial fulfillment for the award of B.Tech degree in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
of Jawaharlal Nehru technological university, Hyderabad during the academic year
2017-2018
Mr. R .VENUMADAV Dr.MV. SATISH KUMAR
Assistant professor Head of the Department

Project coordinator (ME) Mechanical Engineering Department

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deep sense of gratitude and respect to my Technical Seminar

coordinator Mr.R. VENU MADAV, Assistant. Professor of MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Department for his valuable guidance inspection and constant encouragement throughout the
course of work.

My special thanks to Dr.MV. SATISH KUMAR, Professor, Head of the Department to

all the faculty members for their valuable assistance extended during the entire seminar period.

I endow my sincere thanks to our principal Dr.K.SHANKER who has always been our
backing force.

I would like to express heart full gratitude to all others and especially to my classmates who
directly and indirectly helped me in bringing out this seminar successfully
 INDEX

 INTRODUCTION------------------------------------------------------------1

 HISTORY----------------------------------------------------------------------1

 BASIC PRINCIPLE OF ABRASIVE WATER JET-------------------------1

 ESSENTIAL OF THE PROCESS --------------------------------------------3

 ABRASIVE SLURRY---------------------------------------------------------4

 MECHANISM OF METAL REMOVAL-----------------------------------5

 PARAMETERS---------------------------------------------------------------7

 ABRASIVE SLURRY CHARACTERISTICS--------------------------------8

 TOLERANCES----------------------------------------------------------------9

 PRONS AND CONS--------------------------------------------------------11

 APPLICATIONS-------------------------------------------------------------13

 CONCLUSION---------------------------------------------------------------15

 REFERENCES------------------------------------------------------------------15
 1

WATER JET MACHINING PROCESS

INTRODUCTION:
Water jet machining (WJM) is a mechanical material removal process used to erode holes and
cavities by the impact of abrasive particles of the slurry on hard and brittle materials. Since the
process is non- thermal, non-chemical and non-electrical it creates no change in the
metallurgical and physical properties of the work piece.

HISTORY
Dr. Franz in 1950’s first studied UHP water cutting for forestry and wood cutting (pure WJ)1979
Dr. Mohamed Hashish added abrasive particles to increase cutting force and ability to cut hard
materials including steel, glass and concrete (WJ) First commercial use was in automotive
industry to cut glass in 1983Soon after, adopted by aerospace industry for cutting high-strength
materials like Inconel, stainless steel and titanium as well as composites like carbon fiber

BASIC PRINCIPLE:
Abrasive Water Jet Machining is a non-traditional machining process, which makes use of the
principles of Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM) and Water Jet Machining (WJM). The Abrasive Jet
Machining process involves the application of a high-speed stream of abrasive particles assisted
by the pressurized air on to the work surface through a nozzle of small diameter. Material
removal takes place by abrading action of abrasive particles [67]. Water jet machining is an
erosion process technique in which water under high pressure and velocity precisely cuts
through and grinds away minuscule amounts of material.
 2

The addition of an abrasive substance greatly increases the ability to cut

through harder materials such as steel and titanium. Water jet Machining is a cold cutting
process that involves the removal of material without heat. This revolutionary technology is an
addition to non- traditional cutting processes like laser and plasma, and is able to cut through
virtually any material. The water jet process is combined with CNC to precisely cut machine
parts and etch designs [63]. Since water jet machining is done with abrasives, it is often

synonymous with abrasive jet cutting. The combination of compressor, plumbing and cutting
heads accomplishes the pressure and velocity to attain the cutting ability. High-pressure
compressors create a jet of water under extreme pressure that exceeds the speed of sound.
This slim jet of water produced from a small nozzle creates a clean cut. Before cutting, the
materials are carefully laid on top of slates over or submerged in the catch tank. Abrasive water
jet uses the technology of high-pressure water typically between 2069 and 4137 bar, to create
extremely concentrated force to cut stuff. A water cutter pressurizes a stream of pure water
flow (without abrasive) to cut materials such as foam, rubber, plastic, cloth, carpet and wood.
Abrasive jet cutters mix abrasive garnet to a pressurized water stream to cut harder materials.
3

Examples are stainless steel, titanium, glass, ceramic tile, marble and granite. Water jet metal
cutting machine yields very little heat and therefore there is no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ).
Water jet machining is also considered as "cold cut" process and therefore is safe for cutting
flammable materials such as plastic and polymers. With a reasonable cutting speed setting, the
edges resulting are often satisfactory. V In Abrasive Water Jet Machining, the abrasive particles
are mixed with water and forced through the small nozzle at high pressure so that the abrasive
slurry impinges on the work surface at high velocity. Each of the two components of the jet, i.e.,
the water and the abrasive materials have both separate purpose and a supportive purpose.
The primary purpose of the abrasive material in the jet stream is to provide the erosive forces.
The water in the jet acts as the coolant and carries both the abrasive matric' and eroded
material to clear of the work.

ESSENTIALS OF THE PROCESS:

A schematic diagram of abrasive water jet machining is shown in Figure 2.1. It consists of:
Compressor Air filter cum drier Relief valve Pressure gauge Opening valve Mixing chamber
Nozzle holder Nozzle Work piece Air Inlet Air filter Cum Drier \ V TN Drain . Relief Valve
Pressure Compressor ^ Opening Valve Nozzle Work Piece Mixing Chamber Abrasive Slurry Inlet
Compressed Abrasive Slurry Figure 2.1 Schematic diagram of Abrasive Water Jet Machining Set-
up [59] The compressed air from the compressor enters the mixing chamber partly prefilled
with fine grain abrasive particles and chemical. The vortex motion of the air created in the
mixing chamber cranes the abrasive slurry to the nozzle through which it is directed on to the
work piece.
 4

ABRASIVE SLURRY
The slurry used in this process is a mixture of abrasive particles and a liquid component, mainly
water. The ratio of abrasive to liquid can vary from 1: 6 to 1: 14 (by volume). Slurry is to be fed
through the nozzle, which directs the abrasive slurry centrally to the work piece. The slurry
serves several purposes. It carries and distributes the abrasive grains on the work surface thus,
removes the waste material and cools the work piece avoiding thermal stresses. The abrasives
normally used in the process are boron carbide(cubic boron nitride), silicon carbide, aluminum
oxide, garnet, tin oxide etc,. 2.5 WORKPIECE The work piece material may be of any size and
shape. It is held by means of a fixture. Many of the difficult to work materials may be machined
by abrasive water jet machining. The abrasive water jet machining technique is especially suited
for hard materials like tungsten carbide, titanium carbide and ceramics. Materials which exhibit
high hardness and which have high impact brittleness can be successfully machined by this
technique. Such materials are germanium, ferrites, glass and quartz. These materials often
cannot withstand the forces needed for ordinary mechanical working.
 5

MECHANISMS OF MATERIAL REMOVAL

Though the process is commercially used for many years, the details of the material removal
mechanism are yet to be fully understood. However, the past works done to understand the
process parameters, have thrown light on the possible mechanism of material removal in
abrasive water jet machining. The main mechanisms responsible for the material removal in
abrasive water jet machining are listed below. • Direct impact of the abrasive particles on the
work piece. • Impact of the free moving abrasive particles on the work piece. • Erosion of the
work surface due to cavitation’s effect of the abrasive slurry. • Chemical action associated with
the fluid used. It has been reported that among the above-mentioned mechanisms, the first
two are primarily responsible for major stock removal. The part played by erosion has been
reported as insignificant for normal materials machined by this process

Abrasive Water Jet Erosive Wear Mechanism High-pressure abrasive

water jet cutting is essentially an erosion process, which involves two distinct mechanisms
depending upon whether the eroded material is brittle or ductile in nature. Ductile erosion is
defined as a cutting process in which the abrasive particles progressively cut the eroded
materials, eventually causing volume removal [9]. Brittle erosion is described as a cracking
process in which material is removed by the propagation and intersection of cracks ahead of

and around the abrasive particle [61]. In fact, abrasive water jet cutting of any material takes
place as a combination of brittle and ductile erosion wear mechanisms. But, one or the other
may dominate the cutting process [2]. The mechanism of material removal also depends on the
type of jet employed and the type of material to be cut. Unlike water jets that operate on a
macroscopic level, abrasive water jets operate on a microscopic level [71].

In case of cutting ductile materials with pure water jets, the material is removed by the
hydrodynamic loading which in turn causes a water hammer effect on the surfaces of the a
material. However, in cutting brittle materials, macro cracking and hydro-wedging induced
crack propagation are the causes of material removal. Pre-cracked materials and certain
materials like concrete, having a certain degree of in-homogeneities, such as micro-cracks and
pores, can be effectively cut with pure water jets [40].

It was indicated that, the stresses on the crack walls are generated due to
high velocity water entering the crack. Further, the crack can grow only if the intensity of the
applied stress exceeds the critical load material resistance parameters such as the fracture
toughness. A micro-crack network thus fanned due to the intersection of several other
previously formed cracks thus removing the material. In case of processing materials with
 6

abrasive water jets each of the abrasive particles entered in high-pressure fluid acts as a
random single point cutting tool impacting the target material. In general, material removal
takes place due to the continuous bombardment and invasive penetration of the abrasive
particles on the material surface.

In case of ductile materials cut with abrasive water jets, the material removal takes place by
displacing the target material into the crater lip where it becomes weak to further erosion or
detaches material from the surface [52]. The mechanism of material removal is influenced by
the shape of particles impacting the material. When abrasive particle strikes a brittle material it
produces cone shaped cracks and these cracks are known as Hertzman cracks.

These cracks initiate from pre-existing flaws that lie just outside the area of contact between
the particle and the target material. As the loading increases, plastic detonation under the
impact site initiates the second set of cracks normal to the impact surface. These cracks are
known as radial cracks. Even an impact by sharp particle results in the formation of two
different types of cracks, one perpendicular to the surface of impact, known as radial cracks.
While the other parallel to the surface of impact, known as lateral cracks.

10 Figure 2.2 shows the schematic diagram of crack growth for sharp particles impinging onto
the material. Radial cracks are responsible for degrading the strength of the material while the
lateral cracks are responsible for erosive wear, initiation of radial cracks occur during the

loading portion of the impact, whereas the lateral cracks are formed during the unloading
phase. Lateral cracks take a curve and propagate to the top surface of the target this result in
the chip formation and subsequent loss of material. Brittle materials cannot deform plastically
as in the case of ductile materials. They crack and fracture when subjected to tensile stresses.
Thus for these materials the maximum tensile stress failure criterion applies for fracture to
occur.

Further the mechanism of material removal can be identified in two different ways such as
microscopic and macroscopic level.

Macro-Mechanism & Micro-Mechanism of Material Removal The macroscopic

character of material removal can be obtained by analyzing the topography of surface
generated with abrasive water jets. It is well known that the formation of striations is a unique
aspect of the surface generated. However, the researches explain this phenomenon in different
ways.

.
 7

The cutting process was divided into three different stages, an entry stage, cutting stage and
exit stage. During the entry stage, the jet just enters the material without its penetration to the
maximum depth. However, the cutting stage starts when the jet of certain energy penetrates to
the maximum depth of cut. The exit stage occurs at the end of cutting stage, due to the
reflection of jet against the traverse direction. This results in the formation of an uncut triangle.
This indicates that the cutting process is a study state cutting process in the region just above
the start of the uncut triangle. This particular region is known as the cutting wear zone

PARAMETERS
Basically abrasive water jet machining process works under slurry systems, besides the
geometry and material properties of the product. It thus becomes difficult to predict definite
values for performance of the abrasive water jet machining. But still the performance of
abrasive water jet machining is decided by the obtainable rate of material removal, accuracy
and surface finish [75]. The different parameters, which influence the performance of abrasive
water jet machining, are: 2.7.1 Machining Parameters • The type and size of the nozzle. •
Stand-off-distance greatly influences the performance of abrasive water jet machining.
 8

ABRASIVE SLURRY CHARACTERISTICS

The type and size of the abrasive, its hardness and fracture tendency, type of the fluid used for
forming the abrasive slurry and the concentration of the abrasive particles in the slurry
influences the material removal rate along with the accuracy and surface finish. • High Pressure
Slurry • Low Pressure Slurry 13 2.7.3 Work Piece Properties Hardness, brittle fracture
characteristics, strength and fatigue properties of the work piece material determine to a great
extent, the machining rates. The other properties such as toughness, young's modulus also play
some role. 2.8

PURE WJ CUTTING
 Water inlet pressure between 20k-60k psi

 Forced through hole in jewel 0.007-0.020” dia

 Sapphires, Rubies with 50-100 hour life

 Diamond with 800-2,000 hour life, but they are pricey


 9

PURE WJ CUTTING
 Pure cuts soft materials – corrugated cardboard, disposable diapers, tissue papers,
automotive interiors

 Very thin stream (0.004-0.010 dia )

 Extremely detailed geometry

 Very little material loss due to cutting

 Can cut thick, soft, light materials like fiberglass insulation up to 24” thick or thin, fragile
materials

 Very low cutting forces and simple featuring

Water jet erodes work at kerf line into small particle

ABRASIVE WJ CUTTING
 Used to cut much harder materials

 Water is not used directly to cut material as in Pure, instead water is used to accelerate
abrasive particles which do the cutting

 80-mesh garnet (sandpaper) is typically used though 50 and 120-mesh is also used

 Standoff distance between mixing tube and work part is typically 0.010-0.200 –
important to keep to a minimum to keep a good surface finish

TOLERANCES
 Typically +/- 0.005 inch

 Machines usually have repeatability of 0.001 inch


 10

 Comparatively traditional machining centers can hold tolerances 0f 0.0001 inch with
similar repeatability

 WJ tolerance range is good for many applications where critical tolerances are not
crucial to workpart design

WHEN IS IT PRACTICAL?
The cutter is commonly connected to a high-pressure water pump, where the water is then
ejected from the nozzle, cutting through the material by spraying it with the jet of high-speed
water.

It’s practical to use it to cut any kind of material. In waterjet cutting, there is no heat
generated. This is especially useful for cutting tool steel and other metals where excessive heat
may change the properties of the material. Waterjet cutting does not leave a burr or a rough
edge, and eliminates other machining operations such as finish sanding and grinding. It can be
easily automated for production use.
 11

ADVANTAGES
• Cheaper than other processes.

• Cut virtually any material. (pre hardened steel, mild steel, copper, brass, aluminum;
brittle materials like glass, ceramic, quartz, stone)

• Cut thin stuff, or thick stuff.

• Make all sorts of shapes with only one tool.

• No heat generated.

• Leaves a satin smooth finish, thus reducing secondary operations.

• Clean cutting process without gasses or oils.

• Modern systems are now very easy to learn.

• Are very safe.

•
 • 12

• Machine stacks of thin parts all at once.

• Unlike machining or grinding, waterjet cutting does not produce any dust or particles
that are harmful if inhaled.

• The kerf width in waterjet cutting is very small, and very little material is wasted.

• Waterjet cutting can be easily used to produce prototype parts very efficiently. An
operator can program the dimensions of the part into the control station, and the
waterjet will cut the part out exactly as programmed. This is much faster and cheaper
than drawing detailed prints of a part and then having a machinist cut the part out.

• Waterjets are much lighter than equivalent laser cutters, and when mounted on an
automated robot. This reduces the problems of accelerating and decelerating the robot
head, as well as taking less energy.

DISADVANTAGES
• One of the main disadvantages of waterjet cutting is that a limited number of materials
can be cut economically. While it is possible to cut tool steels, and other hard materials,
the cutting rate has to be greatly reduced, and the time to cut a part can be very long.
Because of this, waterjet cutting can be very costly and outweigh the advantages.

• Another disadvantage is that very thick parts cannot be cut with waterjet cutting and
still hold dimensional accuracy. If the part is too thick, the jet may dissipate some, and
cause it to cut on a diagonal, or to have a wider cut at the bottom of the part than the
top. It can also cause a rough wave pattern on the cut surface.
 • 13

• Taper is also a problem with waterjet cutting in very thick materials. Taper is when the
jet exits the part at a different angle than it enters the part, and can cause dimensional
inaccuracy. Decreasing the speed of the head may reduce this, although it can still be a
problem.

LIMITATIONS
Abrasive water jet cutting is a very useful machining process that can be readily substituted for
many other cutting methods; however, it has some imitations to what it can cut. Listed below
are these limitations, and a brief description of each. • The jet may tend to dissipate when the
target material thickness is too high, thus results in rough wave pattern on the surface. • In

abrasive water jet machine cutting through a thicker specimen is a problem. When the abrasive
slurry jet comes out with different angle than it enters the specimen, thus causing dimensional
inaccuracy. • Relatively low cutting rates when compared to laser (when HAZ is not critical)
[24]. 2.9

APPLICATIONS

Water jets (also commonly referred to as waterjets) uses a combination of water and garnet to
cut through materials considered “un machine able” by conventional cutting methods.

The ability to pierce through material also eliminates the need and cost of drilling starter holes.
Abrasive jets provide extremely accurate cuts with a high degree of repeatability over a wide
range of materials and shapes. Abrasive waterjets are ideal for cutting metals, stone, ceramic tile,
glass, plastic and other hard materials. Abrasive waterjet cutting machines (abrasive jets) use a
combination of water and garnet to cut through materials considered "un machine able" by
conventional cutting methods.

Using small amounts of water while eliminating the friction caused by tool-to-part contact,
abrasive waterjet cutting avoids thermal damage or heat-affected zones (HAZ) which can
adversely affect metallurgic properties in materials being cut. The ability to pierce through
material also eliminates the need and cost of drilling starter holes. Because abrasivejet cuts with
a narrow kerf, parts can be tightly nested, maximizing material usage.
 14

Abrasive waterjets can cut through materials ranging from 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) to 12 inches (305
mm) thick. Jet Edge precision waterjets are capable of +/- 0.001" linear positional accuracy and
+/- 0.001" repeatability. When coupled with a Jet Edge motion control system, abrasive jet

cutting provides extremely accurate cuts with a high degree of repeatability over a wide range of
materials and shapes.

Abrasive waterjet is excellent for the cutting of complex shapes, and in fragile materials such as
glass, the high failure rate due to breakage and chipping of corners during conventional
processing is virtually eliminated. Whatever your industrial need, abrasive jet is an accurate,
flexible, and efficient cutting system.

Due to the uniqueness of abrasive water jet cutting, there are many applications where it is
more useful and economical than standard machining processes. In this section, some of the
major applications and uses of abrasive water jet cutting are given. Abrasive water jet
machining is used mostly to cut stronger materials such as steel, and even some tool steels can
be cut. Though the applications are somewhat limited listed below are some of the
applications.

14 2.9.1 Machining Tool Steel Abrasive water jet cutting can be effectively used for cutting tool
steels. Tool steel is generally very difficult to cut with conventional machining methods and may
result in heat that could alter the metallurgical structure of the material. Abrasive water jet
cutting, however, do not produce appreciable amount of heat and the metallurgical structure
of the material is not altered thus the strength of the tool is retained.

2.9.2 Manufacturing Industry The abrasive water jet machining is used to cut any profile
required by Automobiles, Ships and Aircrafts. The glass industry calls for artistic work on
different glass materials.

2.9.3 Construction Industry To cut ceramic tile, mosaic and marble or granite for home/
commercial building or even pavement decoration the abrasive water jet cutting often referred
as marble cutter or graphite cutting machine or granite cutter, can be effectively used. 15
 15

CONCLUSION
 Relatively new technology has caught on quickly and is replacing century-old methods
for manufacturing

 Used not only in typical machining applications, but food and soft-goods industries

 As material and pump technology advances faster cutting rates, longer component life
and tighter tolerances will be achievable

 Paves the way for new machining processes that embrace simplicity and have a small
environmental impact

REFERENCES
 www.flowcorp.com

 www.waterjets.org

 www.aqua-dynamics.co.uk