Exploration on Kerf-angle and Surface Roughness in Abrasive Waterjet Machining using Response Surface Method

Abrasive waterjet machining is a mechanical based unconventional cutting process which uses a mixture of abrasives and pressurized water as an intermediate to cut the material. The present paper focuses in analyzing the effect process parameters like feed rate, water pressure, standoff distance and abrasive flow rate on the surface roughness and kerf-angle of AISI 1018 mild steel experimentally. The experiments were performed under Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array. Moreover, the optimal parameter that significantly reduces the surface roughness and kerf-angle were calculated through response surface method. The most dominating process parameter that affects the responses was calculated by the Analysis of variance. In addition, machined surfaces are further subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) for detailed study on the texture developed. © 2017, The Institution of Engineers (India).