Initial research on the ultra-high pressure waterjet up to 700 MPa

This paper addresses waterjet systems at pressures up to 700 MPa that is beyond the current commercially available systems. It is expected that increasing and localising the energy of the waterjet allows to cut deeper, narrower and faster. It also expands the possibilities of the waterjet since it makes it possible to cut thin sheet of metal, glass and composite. Main issues are addressed. Guidelines for designing an upstream tube are presented. Pressure and power measurements were conducted with pure waterjet. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the measurements. Defects were observed at the orifice at the end of the tests. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.