Experimental study on optimization of abrasive water jet process parameters

Abstract To improve the cutting efficiency of abrasive water jet technology, a high-pressure water jet cutting system was developed to examine the cutting effects on granite and red sandstone under various process parameters. The results reveal that the average slit depth increases linearly with rising jet pressure, while the slit width shows a decreasing trend. In contrast, as the transverse speed increases, both the depth and width of the slit decline. The slit depth initially rises and then falls with an increase in jet target distance, peaking at a target distance of 5 mm, whereas the slit width consistently decreases. Furthermore, as the jet angle increases, the slot depth exhibits an oscillatory pattern of increase and decrease, with the maximum slot depth occurring at a jet angle of 10°. Conversely, the slit width first decreases and then increases with the jet angle, reaching its maximum at a jet angle of 20°. To clarify the relative importance of these parameters, an L16(4^4) orthogonal experimental design was utilized to conduct extensive experiments on granite and red sandstone. Through range analysis and variance analysis, the primary and secondary relationships among the factors affecting abrasive water jet cutting were established in the following order: transverse velocity > jet pressure > jet inclination > target distance. The optimal jet parameters identified were a jet pressure of 40 MPa, a target distance of 5 mm, a transverse velocity of 2 mm s −1 , and a jet inclination of 10°.