Test Parameter Analysis in Abrasive Jet Cutting of Rocklike Materials

This paper contains investigations on the behavior of five artificial rocklike materials subjected to abrasive water jet cutting. The influence of the test parameters, i.e. applied pump pressure, traverse rate and abrasive mass flow rate was investigated, as well as the influence of several material parameters, e.g. compressive strength, Young's modulus, absorbed fracture energy and crack velocity. For the test parameters, it is found that two sets of critical parameters exist. First, there are minimum threshold values which must be exceeded to initiate the material destruction process. Second, critical values for the test parameters exist which should not be exceeded in order to ensure an effective cutting process. Based on statistical calculations it is found that the crack velocities of the materials have the most significant effect on the cutting process. The crack velocity of the material influences the depth of the cut, specific energy, and threshold parameters of the cutting process. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.