Soluble abrasives for waterjet machining

© 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The addition of hard abrasives to the jet in waterjet machining can improve machining rate, however, embedding of particles in machined surfaces is a limitation, which results in reduced fatigue life, and limits the application of well adhered subsequent coatings to the surface. In this study, softer soluble abrasives were investigated as a potential solution. Soluble abrasives yielded a higher material removal rate compared to plain waterjet, although were not as effective as traditional hard abrasives. Soluble abrasives reduced grit embedment on all four workpiece materials. A post-machining surface cleaning operation demonstrated that any remaining soluble abrasive could be removed.