Optimisation of process parameters for kerf taper using TM-GRA of GFRP composite with AWJM

Machining and shaping of difficult-to-machine hard materials and composites like glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) are very difficult and uneconomical due to their specific properties such as anisotropic and non-homogenous nature with the conventional machining process. Abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) is proven to be efficient and economical for material removal processing in manufacturing industries, in which a high-speed abrasive water jet is impinged on workpiece surface to erode material to get the desired shape. In this paper, experiments are performed to study the kerf taper (Kt) in AWJ machined GFRP composite according to Taguchi's design-based L16 orthogonal array. Water pressure (WP), traverse rate (TR), stand-off distance (SOD) and abrasive mass flow rate (AMFR) are considered to study their influence on kerf taper. Optimisation of parameters is executed by applying the GRA technique to minimise the kerf taper. Subsequently, confirmation tests are conducted at the optimised set of parameters to validate the results. The average value for kerf taper from confirmation experiments is measured 0.2958.