Utilisation of glass waste as an abrasive in abrasive waterjet machining

This study investigates the potential use of glass waste as an abrasive in abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting of rocks. A comparative analysis is presented to evaluate the cutting performance of glass waste in comparison to garnet, which is the most frequently utilised abrasive material. The following performance outputs are considered: cutting depth, cutting wear zone (CWZ) depth, cutting width, material removal rate (MRR), quality of the cutting surfaces and kerf angle. It is concluded that glass waste can be successfully used as an abrasive, particularly for cutting rocks that are not very hard. Finally, it can be stated that the utilisation of glass waste as an alternative abrasive to garnet has the potential to engender a number of environmental and economic advantages.