AWJ machining of high-volume fraction SiCp/Al composites.

Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting technology has notable advantages such as high cutting efficiency and cost-effectiveness, particularly for machining difficult-to-process metal matrix composites such as SiCp/Al. However, the uncontrollable kerf shape, cutting depth, and surface quality render AWJ grooving on SiCp/Al substrate challenging. In this study, a novel method for grooving on SiCp/Al substrate using AWJ, with the aim of enhancing the quality of AWJ machining processes, is proposed. First, a predictive model based on the improved model of erosion by the impact of solid particle is established for the geometry of groove kerf profiles. Second, a comprehensive analysis is performed to investigate the influence of process parameters on the quality of grooves using the waterjet cutting mechanism, thereby identifying the optimal process parameters for achieving superior results. Finally, the proposed predictive model of the kerf depth is used to predict the groove depth in multi-pass waterjet cutting. The results reveal that the combination of machining parameters comprising 100 MPa, 500 mm/min, and two waterjet passes achieves a desirable kerf shape, lowest roughness value of 5.11 μm, and flattest bottom profile. Additionally, these parameters achieve a high material removal rate of up to 1326.17 mm³/min. The predicted depth results agree well with the five multi-pass experimental results, and the average difference between the predicted model and the experimental results is 5.24%. This study can provide crucial guidelines for the AWJ grooving process of SiCp/Al substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]