Experimental Study of the Slot Overlapping and Tool Path Variation Effect in Abrasive Waterjet Milling

Abstract

In abrasive waterjet (AWJ) milling, a flat surface is obtained when the jet carries out a programmed path, which covers the desired surface. In this process, single slots are overlapped. Thus, the resulting surface, apart from depending on process parameters (pressure, stand-off distance, abrasive mass flow rate, and traverse feed rate), also depends on the lateral feed used between adjacent slots. In this work, an experimental model is obtained, which relates the total cavity depth with the depth and the width of a single slot and with the lateral feed. Alternative tool paths are also studied with the aim of finding new strategies in the future, which will allow to mill with AWJ without using a mask. The results obtained with different tool paths have been explained analyzing the slots interaction and the variation of lateral feed along the entire tool path.