Abrasive Jet Machining

• In Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM), abrasive particles

Abrasive Jet Machining are made to impinge on the work material at a high
velocity.
• The jet of abrasive particles is carried by carrier gas or
air. The high velocity stream of abrasive is generated
by converting the pressure energy of the carrier gas or
air to its kinetic energy and hence high velocity jet.
• The nozzle directs the abrasive jet in a controlled
manner onto the work material, so that the distance
between the nozzle and the work piece and the
impingement angle can be set desirably.
• The high velocity abrasive particles remove the
material by micro-cutting action as well as brittle
fracture of the work material
• In AJM, generally, the abrasive particles of around 50
μm grit size would impinge on the work material at
velocity of 200 m/s from a nozzle of I.D. of 0.5 mm
with a stand off distance of around 2 mm.
• The kinetic energy of the abrasive particles would be
sufficient to provide material removal due to brittle
fracture of the work piece or even micro cutting by the
abrasives.
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF AJM
EQUIPMENTS
• In AJM, air is compressed in an air compressor and the compressed air at a pressure of around 5 bar is used as
the carrier gas .
• Gases like 𝐶𝑂2 , 𝑁2 can be used as carrier gas which may directly be issued from a gas cylinder. Generally
oxygen is not used as a carrier gas
• The carrier gas is carried first passed through a pressure regulator to obtain the desired working pressure. The
gas is then passed through an air dryer to remove any residual water vapour. To remove any oil vapour or
particulate contaminant the same is passed through a series of filters.
• Then the carrier gas enters a closed chamber known as the mixing chamber. The abrasive particles enter the
chamber from a hopper through a metallic sieve. The sieve is constantly vibrated by an electromagnetic shaker.
• The mass flow rate of abrasive (15 gm/min) entering the chamber depends on the amplitude of vibration of the
sieve and its frequency.
• The abrasive particles are then carried by the carrier gas to the machining chamber via an electro-magnetic on-
off valve. The machining enclosure is essential to contain the abrasive and machined particles in a safe and
eco-friendly manner.
• The machining is carried out as high velocity (200 m/s) abrasive particles are issued from the nozzle onto a
work piece traversing under the jet.
15mm 1/4 Turn Lever Ball Valve
Process Parameters
• Abrasive
• Abrasive Jet
Material – 𝐴𝑙2 𝑂3 / SiC / glass beads
Velocity – 100 ~ 300 m/s
Shape – irregular / spherical
Mixing ratio – mass flow ratio of abrasive to gas –
Size – 10 ~ 50 μm
Stand-off distance – 0.5 ~ 5 mm
Mass flow rate – 2 ~ 20 gm/min
Impingement Angle – 600 ~ 900
• Carrier gas
• Nozzle
Composition – Air, 𝐶𝑂2 , 𝑁2
Density – Air ~ 1.3 kg/m3
Material – WC / sapphire
Diameter – (Internal) 0.2 ~ 0.8 mm
Life – 10 ~ 300 hours
Geometry, material, Stand-Off-Distance (SOD) or
Nozzle-Tip-Distance (NTD), feed rate, inclination
angle to the normal to the workpiece surface.
Applications

• For drilling holes of intricate shapes in hard and brittle materials

• For machining fragile, brittle and heat sensitive materials
• AJM can be used for drilling, cutting, deburring, cleaning and etching.
• Micro-machining of brittle materials

Limitations

• MRR is rather low (around ~ 15 mm3/min for machining glass)

• Abrasive particles tend to get embedded particularly if the work material is ductile
• Tapering occurs due to flaring of the jet
• Environmental load is rather high.
 Mechanism of material Removal

In the case of ductile materials, material is removed by plastic deformation and cutting
wear, or plastic strain and deformation wear

Ductile fracture
 During impact, when the yield strength of the material is locally exceeded, plastic deformation takes
place in the vicinity of the impact.

 After multiple impacts, a plastically deformed surface layer may form near the eroded surface, and,
therefore, the yield strength of the material increases due to strain hardening.

 Upon further deformation, the yield strength at the surface of the material will eventually become equal
to its fracture strength, and no further plastic deformation will occur.

 At this point, the material surface becomes brittle and its fragments may be removed by subsequent
impacts.
Mechanism of material Removal

Brittle fracture
During brittle erosion process, particle impact produces different types
of cracks and chipping, with negligible plastic deformation.

Brittle fracture In the case of brittle materials, it may take place due to
• Indentation rupture
• Elastic–plastic deformation
• Critical plastic strain theory
• Radial cracking and propagation or surface energy criterion
Abrasive Water jet machining
• Abrasive Water Jet Machining is a non-traditional machining process, which makes use of the
principles of Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM) and Water Jet Machining (WJM).

• Water jet machining is an erosion process technique in which water under high pressure and
velocity precisely cuts through and grinds away minuscule amounts of material.
• The addition of an abrasive substance greatly increases the ability to cut through harder
materials such as steel and titanium.
• Water jet Machining is a cold cutting process that involves the removal of material without
heat. This revolutionary technology is an addition to non- traditional cutting processes like
laser and plasma, and is able to cut through virtually any material. The water jet process is
combined with CNC to precisely cut machine parts and etch designs
It consists of:
• Compressor
• Air filter cum drier
• Relief valve
• Pressure gauge
• Opening valve
• Mixing chamber
• Nozzle holder
• Nozzle
• Work piece
Abrasive slurry
The slurry used in this process is a mixture of abrasive particles and a liquid component, mainly water. The ratio of
abrasive to liquid can vary from 1: 6 to 1: 14 (by volume). Slurry is to be fed through the nozzle, which directs the
abrasive slurry centrally to the work piece. The slurry serves several purposes. It carries and distributes the
abrasive grains on the work surface thus, removes the waste material and cools the work piece avoiding thermal
stresses. The abrasives normally used in the process are boron carbide(cubic boron nitride), silicon carbide,
aluminum oxide, garnet, tin oxide etc,.

Work piece
The work piece material may be of any size and shape. It is held by means of a fixture. Many of the difficult to
work materials may be machined by abrasive water jet machining. The abrasive water jet machining technique is
especially suited for hard materials like tungsten carbide, titanium carbide and ceramics. Materials which exhibit
high hardness and which have high impact brittleness can be successfully machined by this technique. Such
materials are germanium, ferrites, glass and quartz. These materials often cannot withstand the forces needed for
ordinary mechanical working.
Mechanisms of material removal
The main mechanisms responsible for the material removal in abrasive
water jet machining are listed below:

• Direct impact of the abrasive particles on the work piece.

• Impact of the free moving abrasive particles on the work piece.
• Erosion of the work surface due to cavitation effect of the abrasive
slurry.
• Chemical action associated with the fluid used.