Abstract In the world of technological advancement, advanced machining processes are taking over the role of traditional methods. Abrasive Water jet (AWJ) is one of the fast-growing non-conventional cutting methods with various advantages e.g., negligible heat effected zone, less cutting forces, and flexibility of materials. This work explores machining titanium alloy grade V using AWJ technique. To identify significant process parameters that statistically affect the kerf angle and surface roughness, the Taguchi technique (L9 array), regression equations and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. The chosen processing variables include traverse speed, abrasive flow rate, water pressure and standoff distance. Embedment of abrasive particles was analyzed using Xray diffraction (XRD). Results revealed traverse speed as the most significant factor affecting kerf angle while for surface roughness, traverse speed and standoff distance were found to be the most influential factors. It is observed that for obtaining smooth surface, lower values of traverse speed and standoff distance should be preferred. Entrapment of abrasive particles such as aluminum, silicon titanium was also found during XRD analysis in the machined surface of the samples. The obtained results were compared with the work of other researchers and noticed as worthwhile.
Khalid Mahmood (Mon,) studied this question.