A novel assessment study of surface integrity for nickel-based superalloy milled by abrasive waterjet considering the abrasive embedding

Surface integrity—comprising abrasive embedding, work hardening, and residual stress—is crucial for the performance of nickel-based superalloy components milled by abrasive waterjet (AWJ). Effective evaluation of this integrity is therefore essential. First, the effects of pure waterjet and small-size AWJ on the milled surface were analyzed, with abrasive embedding as a key indicator. It was found that small-size AWJ significantly reduced both the number and depth of abrasive particles embedded. Next, single-factor experiments determined the influence of AWJ process parameters on abrasive embedding, leading to the identification of optimal modification schemes (modification scheme 1 and modification scheme 2) for minimizing the number and depth of abrasives. Recommended processing parameters are waterjet pressure = 100 MPa, and step-over distance = 0.38 mm. Finally, it was observed that both modification schemes decreased surface hardness while significantly increasing residual compressive stress compared to the unmodified surface. These findings offer a theoretical and practical foundation for achieving high surface integrity in the milling of nickel-based superalloys using AWJ.