A study of abrasive waterjet cutting of alumina ceramics with controlled nozzle oscillation

This paper presents and discusses an experimental investigation of abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting of alumina ceramics with controlled nozzle oscillation. Particular attention is paid to the effect of small oscillation angles on the various cutting performance measures. It is found that nozzle oscillation at small angles can equally improve the major cutting performance measures, if the cutting parameters are correctly selected. However, under high water pressures, high nozzle traverse speeds and large oscillation frequencies, nozzle oscillation may cause a decrease in some major cutting performance measures, such as surface finish. Plausible trends of cutting performance with respect to the process parameters are further considered. Finally, a predictive mathematical model for the depth of cut is developed and verified.

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