Machining of Engineering Materials Using Developed Abrasive Jet Machining Setup

Abstract

Science and technology is advancing to infinite extent in search of newer materials and alloys with higher hardness, strength and lesser weight which are very difficult to be machined with the conventional machining processes for achieving the required accuracy and precision. There is vast demand for the well finished products of these materials with high accuracy and complex intricate designs. Such features on a component can be achieved only through the advanced manufacturing processes. More than twenty different non-traditional manufacturing processes have been invented and successfully implemented into production engineering during the last six decades, among them abrasive jet machining (AJM) is an effective non-traditional method for machining of hard and brittle materials like glass, ceramics, quartz, GFRP composites and other engineering materials, where abrasive particles are made to impinge on the work material at a high velocity. The kinetic energy of the high speed abrasive particles creates brittle fractures on the target material that propagate both in lateral and longitudinal direction to cause material removal. Although number of attempts have been made by the researches in different parts of the globe to search out the machining characteristics and related process parameters to control the requirements of abrasive jet machining, still a lot of further research is required for analysing the effects of various abrasive jet machining parameters namely, pressure, nozzle tip distance, grain size, abrasive flow rate, hardness of the abrasive and workpiece materials. Keeping in view of the above requirements, the present set of research on abrasive jet machining has been successfully planned, designed and carried out. newline newline