ENERGY PARTITIONING IN ELASTOPLASTIC IMPACT BY SHARP ABRASIVE PARTICLES IN THE ABRASIVE WATER-JET MACHINING OF BRITTLE MATERIALS

In the abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) of brittle materials, the s tress wave energy, associated with the impact of abrasive particles, p lays an important factor in material removal by fracture. The models c urrently available are idealised and simplified and cannot take into a ccount the particle shape or size. The present paper addresses the pro blem of taking into consideration the size and shape of the particles. The results indicate that use of spherical blunt particles in the AWJ M of brittle materials will lead to more fracture. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience S.A.