Simulation of abrasive water jet cutting process: Part 1. Unit event approach

Abrasive water jet (AWJ) machined surfaces exhibit the texture typical of machining with high energy density beam processing technologies. It has a superior surface quality in the upper region and rough surface in the lower zone with pronounced texture marks called striations. The nature of the mechanisms involved in the domain of AWJ machining is still not well understood but is essential for AWJ control improvement. In this paper, the development of an AWJ machining simulation is reported on. It is based on an AWJ process unit event, which in this case represents the impact of a particular abrasive grain. The geometrical characteristics of the unit event are measured on a physical model of the AWJ process. The measured dependences and the proposed model relations are then implemented in the AWJ machining process simulation. The obtained results are in good agreement in the engraving regime of AWJ machining. To expand the validity of the simulation further, a cellular automata approach is explored in the second part of the paper.