WATER JET MACHINE (WJM) PROCESS: This employs a fine, high pressure (1500-4000 MN/cm 2), high velocity

(up to
twice the speed of sound) jet of water, which when bombarded on the work Piece erodes the material. High pressure-
water jet has two properties which make it potentially useful in industries. They are, its destructive power and its
application as a precision cutting tool. A high-velocity water jet when directed at a targe in such way that, its
velocity in virtually reduced to zero on striking the surface. Practically most of the kinetic energy of the jet of water is
converted to very high pressure. In fact, at the initial phase (within first few mill-seconds) the transient pressure
reaches several times greater than the normal stagnation pressure. This causes erosion if the local fluid pressure
exceeds the strength of target material or in other words, the water jet will make a hole in the material if the pressure
1S high enough.

WATER JET MACHINE OPERATING PRINCIPLE: Many variables such as nozzle orifice diameter, water pressure,
cutting feed rate and the stand distance affect the performance. Generally, high cutting quality would be the result of
the conditions: high pressure, large nozzle orifice, low feed rate and. narrow stand off distance.

The equipment (Fig. 4.1) consist of three main units: (1) pump along with a intensifier to generate very high pressure
(1 - 10 kbar) , (2) cutting unit consisting nozzle and work table movement and (3) filtration unit to remove the debris
from water after use. A polymer (glycerine, polyethylene oxide) is added to the working fluid to prevent freezing and
provide lubricating action in the intensifier plunger type pump.

MECHANISM OF JET CUTTING: Water-jet cutting or water-jet machining (W.IM) is similar to laser beam machining
(LBM) and electron beam machining (EBM) in the respect that a given amount of energy 10 10 watt/mm2 is
concentrated onto a very small point to cause material removal.

When a high velocity water-jet is directed to a target in such a way that on striking the s surface its velocity is virtually
reduced to zero then most of the kinetic energy of the water is converted into pressure energy (called stagnation
pressure). In fact, in the first few milliseconds after the initial impact the transient pressure generated may be as high
as three times the normal stagnation pressure. Thus the mechanism of water-jet cutting is erosion caused by localised
compressive failure which occurs when the local fluid pressure exceeds the strength of the target material. In some
ductile materials, it is involved with a shearing action caused by the high speed radial flow of the jet along the work
piece. When quality cutting is not required, such as tunnelling, other mechanisms like spalling caused by stress
waves and the effect of stagnation pressure- caused by cutting fluid penetrating cracks and pores are expected. Some
are of the opinion that cavitations in the jet also plays a role in eroding the target material. It is well known that a
considerable localised damage, caused by erosion, can result from a cavitation bubbles collapsing against a solid.

PROCESS PARAMETERS: For successful utilisation of WJM process, it is necessary to analyse the following process
criteria: (1) Material Removal Rate (MRR). (2) Geometry and finish of work piece. (3) Wear rate of the nozzle (as nozzle
is a costly item). However, the process criteria are greatly influenced by various process parameters as enumerated
below: (1) MRR depends on the reactive force F of the jet. Again, Reactive force = Mass flow rate (m) x Jet velocity (V).
Hence, MRR m V. and the velocity depends on fluid pressure whereas mass flow rate depends on both nozzle
diameter d and fluid pressure P. Hence, MRR d P. British Hydro mechanic Research Association have found
following empirical relationship

V = 14.1 P1/2, Q = 0.67 K N d2 P1/2. HHP = 1.11 K N d2 P1/2 , F = 0.079 K N d2 P.

Where, V = maximum water jet velocity at nozzle outlet (m/s), Q = Water flow rate through nozzle (1/min), HHP =
hydraulic horsepower of jets (W), F = reactive force of jet nozzle (N), K = Nozzle discharge co- efficient
(dimensionless), N = number of nozzles used (dimensionless), P = pressure differential across the nozzle (bar), d =
nozzle orifice diameter (mm). Apart from these, MRR is also greatly influenced by stand-off distance (SOD) of the
nozzle tip from the surface of the material being cut. It is found that MRR increases with the increase of SOD up to a a
Certain limit after which it remains unchanged for a certain tip distances and then falls gradually. This is explained as
follows. Small MRR at low SOD is due to a reduction in nozzle pressure with decreasing distance, whereas a drop in
MRR at large SOD is due to a reduction in the jet velocity with increasing distance. A large SOD affects accuracy and
quality. Water flares out because of a "peeling off" effect caused by air friction. Theoretically, any divergence cause
the jet to cut less effectively and less accurately.
(2) Geometry and finish of work piece of depends on three factor: (a) Nozzle design. (b) Jet Velocity, Cutting speed and
depth of cut, (c) Properties (especially hardness) of the material being cut.

(3) Wear rate of the .nozzle depends mainly on the hardness of the nozzle material, pressure (hence, velocity) of the jet
and nozzle design. From above it is clear that for a given material, the rate of cut, depth of cut and quality (keeping in
mind the sealing problems, nozzle wear rate, etc.) a compromise has to be made and optimum values of various
parameters discussed above are to be found out and used.

MACHINING CHARACTERISTICS: Results of the tests conducted confirm the following: (1) Cutting or piercing ability
of jets is most eminent when impinged (i) Value of the specific stock removal energy in cutting has been found
perpendicularly on, the work piece surface. (ii) Value of the specific stock removal energy in cutting has been found to
be lower than that in piercing. This fact can be explained by assuming that the groove generated in cutting allows for
"counter flow" of the jet to escape freely and lessens its tendency to build a "liquid cushion". (iii) Opening of the
groove cut or the hole pierced becomes enlarged and irregular in shape with the increase of SOD. ... However, as
stated earlier the material removal rate increases as SOD is increased within a certain range. It has been found that
MRR is maximum for SOD between 3 and 5 mm.

EFFECT OF EXIT PRESSURE:

Figure shows the variation of depth of cut / with the exit pressure P for several material (metals and non-metals). It is
clear from the figure that the liquid jets represent a fairly effective cutting tool for some non-metallic materials.
Extrapolation of this figure indicates that there is a threshold pressure below which little or no cutting can be
achieved. For example, mild steel requires about 6 kbar (6120 kg/cm 2) pressure to produce any effect. Variation of
MRR with) P (Fig: 4.3) indicating that MRR varies approximately proportionally with P 3/2 and consequently to the
working power of a jet, except for the materials which are less machineable at these pressure levels, e.g. steel and
brass. The working power E of a jet is the energy carried by is the density of the liquid and a is the cross-sectional
area of the jet. It is interesting to observe that the curve for lead (Fig. 4.3) is discontinuous and consists of two parallel
lines. The value of specific stock removal energy (i.e., the energy required to erode unit volume of the work-material)
changes from 3.3 x 10 to 0.59 x 106 J/cm2 at a pressure between 4 and 6 kbar. Observation of the wall surface of the
groove cut by the jets of higher velocities suggests the occurrence of brittle fracture and is supposed to bear a certain
relation to the velocity of plastic waves propagating in the material.
EFFECT OF FEED RATE: The effect of feed rate on stock removal is shown in Fig, 4.4. The removal rate increases with
feed rate and reaches a peak value and then the tendency is to fall. This may be because of the erosion and removal
process lagging behind the impacting phenomenon. The depth of groove has also been reported to decrease with
increase in feed rate.
OPERATING SUM
Fluid

Type : Water or water with additives (well filtered and softened), Additives: Glyeerin, Polyethylene Oxide or long chain
polymers, Pressure: 1 to 10 kbar (100 to 1000 MPa), Jet Velocity: 300 to 1000 m/min. Flow Rate: up to 8 Lit/min. Jet
Force on Work Piece: 0.5 to 15 kg (5 to 15 N). Power: up to 40kW.

CUTTING RATE: Removal Rate: Metals and alloys- 0.5 mm 2/s Elastomers 20 mm3/s. Feed Rate: 1 to 5 mm/s. Kerf Width:
0.075 to 0.5 mm.

NEEDLE: Material: Hardened Steel (17-4 SS), WC, Synthetic Sapphire (common) Diameter: 0.075 to 0.4 mm, SOD: 2.5 to
50 mm. Angle: Normal to 30 positive rake.

APPLICATIONS: WJM is used to cut many non-metallic materials like Keplar, glass epoxy, graphite, boron, F.R.P.
corrugated board, leather and many other brittle materials. It is used mostly in shoe making industry and now has
entered into steel plant to descale the chilled layer of steel ingots, in aircraft industries to profile cutting of FRP
aircraft structures even glass windows.