Experimental investigations on abrasive water jet machining of nickel-based superalloy

Waspaloy is often used in aviation combustion chamber at extreme environments. Waspaloy is also a nickel-based superalloy with exceptional strength properties at a temperature of 980 °C. In this experimental investigation, waspaloy is used to analyse the kerf angle (KA), surface roughness (SR) and material removal rate (MRR) during abrasive water jet machining. The effect of various parameters such as traverse speed, abrasive flow rate, water pressure and stand-off distance on KA, MRR and SR was discussed. The striation formation was analysed for different set of process parameters. The striations were also analysed using atomic force microscopy. An attempt was done to relate the jet impinging angle and nature of striation formation. It was found that the increase in declination angle decreases the formation of striation during water jet process of waspaloy.