Holistic insight mechanism of abrasive water jet machining on surface characteristics and dimensional accuracy of Al2017A alloy hybrid composites
摘要
In this study, the effects of hybrid composites fabricated using Al2017A base alloy with different reinforcement compositions (Al2017A/0.5% hBN, Al2017A/0.5% hBN/1.0% ZrO2), and Al2017A/0.5% hBN/2.0% ZrO2) on the abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining performance are examined in terms of material removal rate (MRR), piercing time (PT) and overcut (OC), taper (TAP). The experimental results are analysed as a function of water pressure (P), traverse rate (TR), abrasive flow rate (AFR), and stand-off distance (SOD). The MRR improves with P, TR, and SOD, for Comp A, Comp B, and Comp C; however, at too-high AFR, cutting efficiency is reduced. Reducing water pressure lowers OC and TAP levels, thereby enhancing hole quality, while higher water pressure imparts more kinetic energy to the jet, leading to a larger hole diameter and higher TAP. ANOVA revealed that AFR (56.0%, 65.11%) and P (33.06%, 26.81%) are also significant parameters affecting MRR and PT, respectively, whereas TR (45.32%) is the most important factor among the three affecting OC, followed by SOD (26.28%) and P (20.04%). For TAP, P is the most influential factor (80.18%), followed by TR (14%). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AWJ parameters in improving the machining performance and dimensional accuracy of Al2017A hybrid composite materials, offering useful and valuable insights for precision machining applications.