An Analytic Evaluation of Material, Pressure, Cutting Speed, and Water Jet Diameter's Effect on the Surface Quality for the Water Jet Cutting

The Abrasive Water Jet (AWJ) cutting process uses abrasive particles in a highly pressurized water jet for cutting the metallic and non-metallic materials. It has more advantageous features compared to other cutting methods. AWJ can eliminate toxic gases, recast layers, slag, and thermal stresses. In this study, the result of the AWJ cutting experiments will be presented. The experiments were performed on two types of steel materials which are widely used in the aviation and naval industry. These materials are BS 7191 355 EMZ and ASTM A516 Gr.60 plates of steel. In total, 180 cuttings were performed with pre-assigned water jet pressure, speed, and diameter parameters. At the end of the experimental study, it was determined that; between both steels; BS 7191 355 EMZ provides a comparatively higher surface quality than ASTM A516 Gr.60 using a small water jet diameter, low rate speed, and low pressure