WATER JET MACHINING:
AN ADVANCE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
A seminar report submitted in
Partial fulfillment of the requirements
For award of degree
of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
by
SAURABH KUMAR JAISWAL
(UNIVERSITY roll no -1718740039)
Under the supervision of
Mr. ANIKESH TRIPATHI
(Associate professor, Mechanical Deptt.)
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL, ENGINEERING
FEROZE GANDHI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING
& TECHNOLOGY, RAEBARELI
Affiliated to AKTU Lucknow (U.P.), INDIA
ABSTRACT:
Use of water jet has been in existence for over twenty years, but it is
yet to reach its full potential in the construction industry. This study
examines the role of water jet in heavy construction in general and
particularly how it affects the regional contractors in the northeast. A
survey was conducted among 215 civil contractors of the Northeast
region of the United States and the results were documented in various
categories. The paper presents aspects regarding an innovative
nonconventional technology, abrasive water jet machining. The study
also presents results regarding other technological operations possible
to be performed with abrasive water jet.
LIST OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction
II. Definition and construction
III. Working of water jet machining
IV. Some applications of water jet machining
V. Some advance applications of water jet
machining
VI. Advantages and disadvantages
VII. Conclusions and limitations
VIII. References
I. INTRODUCTION
Water jets were introduced in the United States during the 1970’s, and were
utilized merely for cleaning purposes. As the technology developed to include
abrasive water jets, new applications were disco verged. However, until recently
this tool had not been used to a great extent in the construction industry.
In the battle to reduce costs, engineering and manufacturing departments are
constantly on the lookout for an edge. The Water jet process provides many
unique capabilities and advantages that can prove very effective in the cost battle.
Learning more about the Water jet technology gives us an opportunity to put
these cost-cutting capabilities to work.
Beyond cost cutting, the water jet process is recognized as the most versatile and
fastest growing process in the world (as per Frost & Sullivan and the Market
Intelligence Research Corporation). Water jets are used in high production
applications across the globe. They complement other technologies such as
milling, laser, EDM, plasma and routers. No toxious gases or liquids are used in
water jet cutting, and water jets do not create hazardous materials or vapors. No
heat effected zones or mechanical stresses are left on a water jet cut surface. It is
truly a versatile, productive, cold cutting process.
The water jet has shown that it can do things that other technologies simply
cannot. From cutting thin details in stone, glass and metals; to rapid hole drilling
of titanium; to cutting of food, to the killing of pathogens in beverages and dips,
the water jet has proven itself unique .
II. DEFINITION AND CONSTRUCTION
Water jet machining is a mechanical energy based non-traditional machining
process used to cut and machine soft and non-metallic materials. It involves the
use of high velocity water jet to smoothly cut a soft work piece. In water jet
machining, high velocity water jet is allowed to strike a given work piece. During
this process its kinetic energy is converted to pressure energy. This induces a
stress on the work piece. When this induced stress is high enough, unwanted
particles of the work piece are automatically removed.
The apparatus of water jet machining consists of the following components:
a) Reservoir: It is used for storing water that is to be used in the machining
operation.
b) Pump: It pumps the water from the reservoir. High pressure intensifier
pumps are used to pressurize the water as high as 55,000 psi. For the abrasive
water jet, the operating pressure ranges from 31,000 to 37,000 psi. At this high
pressure the flow rate of the water is reduced greatly.
c) Intensifier: It is connected to the pump. It pressurizes the water acquired
from the pump to a desired level.
d) Accumulator: It is used for temporarily storing the pressurized water. It is
connected to the flow regulator through a control valve.
e) Control Valve: It controls the direction and pressure of pressurized water
that is to be supplied to the nozzle.
f) Flow regulator: It is used to regulate the flow of water.
g) Nozzle: It renders the pressurized water as a water jet at high velocity. Once
the water is pressurized, it is forced through a sapphire nozzle which is
composed of the natural sapphire stone due to the strength of the stone. The
diameter of the nozzle can be varied depending on the application for which
the water jet is being used. A damaged nozzle leads to poor cohesion of the
stream, thereby reducing the cutting ability greatly. The nozzle typically lasts
100 to 200 hours before it needs to be replaced.
h) Mixing Tube: The stream of water which emerges from the nozzle is then
mixed with the abrasive. This takes place in the mixing tube, which is usually
constructed out of tungsten-carbide. Wear of the mixing tube, due to the
abrasive, is a problem and it needs frequent replacement. When the tube
becomes worn, the jet no longer is cohesive and loses power and cutting
ability rapidly.
i) Catchers: After the cut has been made, the water abrasive material is
collected in a catcher. In a field situation there are still problems catching the
waste material. Often catchers need to be custom designed for a specific job.
III. WORKING OF WATER JET MACHINING
The water jet machining follows the following procedure:
1. Water from the reservoir is pumped to the intensifier using a hydraulic
pump.
2. The intensifier increases the pressure of the water to the required level.
Usually, the water is pressurized to 200 to 400 MPa.
3. Pressurized water is then sent to the accumulator. The accumulator
temporarily stores the pressurized water.
4. Pressurized water then enters the nozzle by passing through the control
valve and flow regulator. 5. Control valve controls the direction of water
and limits the pressure of water under permissible limits.
5. Flow regulator regulates and controls the flow rate of water.
6. Pressurized water finally enters the nozzle. Here, it expands with a
tremendous increase in its kinetic energy. High velocity water jet is
produced by the nozzle.
7. When this water jet strikes the work piece, stresses are induced. These
stresses are used to remove material from the work piece.
8. The water used in water jet machining may or may not be used with
stabilizers. Stabilizers are substances that improve the quality of water jet
by preventing its fragmentation
IV. SOME APPLICATIONS OF WATER JET MACHINING
In metal cutting, in the construction industry, the abrasive water jet will most
likely be used for cutting steel beams and concrete sections. For steel, the
cutting rates are slower with the water jet than for other tools, such as plasma
arcs. However, often the cost is offset by the time saved by reducing or
eliminating finishing steps. This is because there is no heat affected zone with
the water jet. The water jet has also been able to cut through thick slabs of
concrete. This will save in the cost of buying diamond tipped saws and
sharpening them. Abrasive water jets are ideally suited for tough and lucrative
applications such as titanium, brass, and tool steel, with aluminium and steel
being the most commonly cut materials. Abrasive water jets cut material from
1/16" inch to 8" inches thick, in high or low volume. Typical part tolerances
range from between 0.003" and 0.005" of an inch, although tolerances as close
as 0.001" of an inch can be achieved as well. Because there is absolutely no
mechanical stress, heat distortion or heat-affected zone (HAZ), secondary
processing can be eliminated in many cases. Material can be stacked to
increase productivity. Setup and fix Turing are complete in just minutes.
With unique ability to cut intricate design, whether you're cutting granite,
marble, slate, limestone, soapstone, travertine, engineered stone or any other
material for floors and counters; porcelain or ceramic tile for inlays or
medallions; or glass and metal for artistic accents and signage, the abrasive
water jet's unique ability to cut very intricate designs at high speed without
breakage frees your imagination and expands your business.
Cutting and piercing delicate glass works is not a problem with Flow water jet
technology. From cutting of intricate stained glass to piercing holes in glass,
users from a variety of industries have discovered the versatility and cost-
effectiveness of cutting with water jets from Flow.
Hurricane Glass is a growing area for water jets as well. New laws are
requiring the installation of hurricane glass for glass windows and doors for all
new construction in specific locations. Because of its composition of glass
clad/polycarbonate structure, a laminate material, hurricane glass is very
difficult to cut by traditional methods such as score and fracturing, or diamond
saws. Flow water jets are the superior method for cutting hurricane glass!
And, because Flow water jets are Omni-directional, cutting complex patterns is
easy!
Water jets have changed the way the paper industry does business. Thirty
years ago, paper manufacturers faced the same concerns many manufacturers
have today: reliability, redundancy, 24-hour operation.
In many tissue and towel applications, water jet slitting eliminates rewinding
so you save on capital equipment expense by slitting on-line. A water jet slitter
can be installed directly on the machine, and the edge meets all requirements
for converting operations.
Manufacturers working with the military are constantly exploring advanced
applications for the latest in lightweight, high strength materials. Cutting these
exotic materials can pose a serious challenge to traditional methods. However,
we do it with ease.
Flow water jets effortlessly cut through the toughest materials including Super
alloys, Ceramic matrix composites, Armor, Carbides, Titanium, Kevlar, Ballistic
materials and more.
From automated assembly to material handling and parts feeders to state-of-
the-art water jet cutting machines, Flow Robotics is a leader in developing
technology designed to address manufacturing challenges head on.
V. SOME ADVANCE APPLICATIONS OF WATER JET MACHINING
Printed Circuit Boards: For circuit boards, waterjet cutting is mostly used to
cut out smaller boards from a large piece of stock. This is a desired method,
since it has a very small kerf, or cutting width, and does not waste a lot of
material. Because the stream is so concentrated, it can also cut very close to
the given tolerances for parts mounted on the circuit board without damaging
them. Another benefit is that waterjet cutting does not produce the vibrations
and forces on the board that a saw would, and thus components would be less
likely to be damaged.
Wire Stripping: Wire stripping is another application that can be used
effectively in waterjet cutting. If no abrasives are used, the stream is powerful
enough to remove any insulation from wires, without damaging the wires
themselves. It is also much faster and efficient than using human power to
strip wires.
Food Preparation: The cutting of certain foods such as bread can also be easily
done with waterjet cutting. Since the waterjet exerts such a small force on the
food, it does not crush it, and with a small kerf width, very little is wasted.
Tool Steel: For abrasive water jet cutting, tool steels are one application,
although a limited one. It can be very useful though because tool steel is
generally very difficult to cut with conventional machining methods, and may
cause an unwanted byproduct: heat. Abrasive water jets, however, do not
produce heat that could alter the structure of the material being cut, and thus
the strength of the tool is retained.
Wood Cutting: Woodworking is another application that abrasive water jet
machining can be used for. Since wood is a softer material compared to steel,
almost all wood can be cut, and the abrasive particles sand surface, leaving a
smooth finish that doesn’t require sanding.
Rivet Removal: Water jet cutting was found to be a feasible method for
removing rivets with thicknesses less than 2 inches. At greater thickness the
quality of the cut became unacceptable, and a tool that could be inserted into
the cut would be needed to perform the job . It was concluded that it is
conceivable to design such a tool that would allow deeper cuts without
sacrificing edge quality
Paint Removal: In the United States the removal of lead-based paint from
bridges is causing big problems. Traditionally, sand blasting was carried out in
the open with no concern for the surrounding environment. Today many
states require the complete containment of the removed produce as well as
the waste generated from blasting. Water jet technology has been used
successfully for coating removal.
VI. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
The Advantages of WJM are:
a) Water jet machining is a relatively fast process.
b) It prevents the formation of heat affected zones on the work piece.
c) It automatically cleans the surface of the work piece. d) WJM has excellent
precision. Tolerances of the order of ±0.005″ can be obtained.
d) It does not produce any hazardous gas.
e) It is eco-friendly.
As like the advantages the WJM has following disadvantages which are:
a) Only soft materials can be machined.
b) Very thick materials cannot be easily machined. Initial investment is high .
VII. CONCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS
It appeared after studying the advantages and disadvantages of the waterjet,
that this is a tool that the construction industry should find very useful.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case. Many of the regional
companies do not seem to have any significant knowledge of the waterjet,
thus remaining unwilling to employ this technology.
The responses that we have received have left us with the inability to
comment on the cost effectiveness of the water jet in the construction
industry. The majority of companies that we contacted do not employ the
water jet in their companies, nor do most of them have any knowledge of the
abrasive water jet. These companies seem to be conservative to new
technology and unwilling to take risks. This may also be due to the fact that
many companies are unwilling to invest in a new technology that is not widely
used.
VII. REFERENCES
a) Behringer -Plosonka, Catherine A., "Waterjet Cutting - A Technology
Afloat on a Sea of Potential", Manufacturing Engineering, Vol. 99,
Nov. 1987, pp. 37-41
b) Steinhauser, John, "Abrasive Waterjets: on the ‘Cutting Edge’ of
Technology", Flow Systems, Inc.
c) Medeot, R., "History, Theory and Practice of Hydro demolition", 5th
American Waterjet Conference, Aug 1989 IV] Peart, John W., "Lead-
Pigmented Paints - Their Impact on Bridge Maintenance Strategies and
Costs", Public Roads, Vol. 52 Sept. 1992, pp. 47-51 [V] Ayers, Gary
W., "Principles of Waterjet Cutting", Tappi Journal, Vol. 70, Sept 1993,
pp. 91-94
