ABRASIVE JET MACHINING

(AJM)

By
Dr. Manas Das

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Guwahati, India

1
 Organisation

•Introduction and working principle

•Experimental setup
•Mathematical models from MRR in AJM
•Parametric analysis
•Process capabilities
•Solved examples

2
Introduction and Working Principle

3
 Mechanical Advanced Machining Processes

Machining Finishing

Abrasive Jet Machining Abrasive Flow Finishing

Ultrasonic Machining Magnetic Abrasive Finishing

Water Jet Machining Chemomechanical Polishing

Abrasive Water Jet Machining Magnetorheological Finishing

Magnetic Float Finishing

Introduction to all these processes will be given in this course.

4
 Abrasive JET Machining (AJM)

FF1
1 D1

Soft wall
F2>F1

D2>D1
F
F22 D2

Soft wall

• A person hits a ball twice on the wall with F1 & F2.

• The ball makes a crater of size D1 & D2 such that D2>D1 when F2>F1.

• D2 & D1 size = ø (Kinetic energy of the ball when hitting the wall).

•Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM) works on the same principle. 5

 HOW AJM WORKS?

Nozzle
N.T.D (Nozzle Tip Distance)

Fine abrasive particle + Air

Crater Dia

Crater depth

Crater depth
Crater dia
6
NTD keeps changing as crater depth keeps on increasing
 Abrasive Jet Machining
(AJM)

How Does it works?

Jet of inert gas + Fine abrasives strikes workpiece at very high speed (300-500 m/s)

Material removal by erosive / chipping action. How ? K.E. of an abrasive

particle converts into force and erodes the material
K.E. = (1/2)mv2

What kind of operations it can do?

Cutting, cleaning, polishing, deburring, etc.

• Effective on hard and / brittle materials

• It can produce fine and complicated details

7
 Principle of AJM

• Fine particles (0.025mm) are accelerated in a gas stream (commonly air at a few
times atmospheric pressure).
• The particles are directed towards the focus of machining (less than 1mm from
the tip).
• As the particle impacts the surface, it causes a small fracture, and the gas
stream carries both the abrasive particles and the fractured (wear) particles
away.

8
 Mechanism of material removal
Air + Abrasive particles
(Velocity 300-500 m/s)

Nozzle
Abrasive Wear particle
particle
Nozzle tip Nozzle diam.
distance ≈1mm
(≈0.3 to 0.5 mm)
(NTD)

Cavity
Work piece
Feed
(a) (b) Work piece (c)
• Flaring of jet: Cavity dimension changes with a change in NTD
• Abrasive particles repeatedly hit on the work piece
• Brittle fracture separates out tiny particles to produce a cavity
• Cavity width will be greater than or equal to nozzle inner dia (depends on NTD)
• Cavity depth depends on work piece feed rate, abrasive particle mass and pressure (or
9
velocity of jet)
 Mechanism of material removal

During brittle erosion process, particle impact produces different types of cracks
and chipping, with negligible plastic deformation.

• Brittle fracture
In the case of brittle materials, it may take place due to
 Indentation rupture
 Elastic–plastic deformation
 Critical plastic strain
 Radial cracking and propagation or surface energy criterion

10
 Mechanism of material removal
In the case of ductile materials, material is removed by plastic deformation and
cutting wear, or plastic strain and deformation wear

Ductile fracture
 During impact, when the yield strength of the material is locally
exceeded, plastic deformation takes place in the vicinity of the impact.
 After multiple impacts, a plastically deformed surface layer may form near
the eroded surface, and, therefore, the yield strength of the material
increases due to strain hardening.
 Upon further deformation, the yield strength at the surface of the material
will eventually become equal to its fracture strength, and no further plastic
deformation will occur.
 At this point, the material surface becomes brittle and its fragments may be
removed by subsequent impacts.

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Experimental Setup

12
 Schematic diagram of AJM
Air Filter / drier
Abrasive
Relief Valve Pressure feeder
gauge
Opening Mixing
valve
Compressor chamber

Pressure
gauge

Pressure
regulator Nozzle
Drain

Stand off Distance

Air/Gas Abrasives
Workpiece
Fixture

SOD
WP
13
 1
6 8
2 7

4
3

5 9

10

1 – Hopper for abrasive, 2 – Pr regulator, 3 – Flow meter, 4 – Mixing chamber, 5 – Air drier,
6– RPM measuring instrument for vibrator inside the mixing chamber, 7– Pressure gauge
for abrasive jet, 8 – Abrasive jet tubing, 9 – Nozzle, 10 – W/P and W/P fixture. 14
 GAS  SUPPLIER CLEAN & DRY GAS TO PROPEL ABRASIVE PARTICLES
PROPULSION  COMPRESSOR OR CYLINDER FIELD WITH GAS (9.5 l/hr)
SYSTEMS
 GAS NON-TOXIC, CHEAP & EASILY AVAILABLE
NO EXCESS SPREADING / DIVERGING
ABRASIVE
FEEDER  Quantity control BY VIBRATION

 WELL CLOSED ABRASIVE PARTICLES CONTENT SHOULD BE

ELEMENTS BELOW HARMFUL LIMIT
MACHINING
OF CHAMBER  VACCUM DUST COLLECTOR SHOUL BE ATTACHED
AJM
SYSTEM
 WC / SAPPHIRE (≈300HR)

AJM NOZZLE  CIRCULAR / RECTANDULLAR X – SECTION

 NOZZLE PRESSURE = 2 – 8.5 kgf / cm2 (W/P MATERIAL, MRR

REQUIRMENTS)

 INCREASED WEAR STRAY CUTTING & HIGHER INACCORACY

CONTORLLED BY MASKING THE WORKPIECE

ABRASIVES Rubber (less accurate), metals (more accurate)

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 Elements of AJM system
ABRASIVES

• ALUMINA (Al2O3), SiC, GLASS BEADS, SODUM BICARBONATE, ETC.

• SELECTION (W/P MATERIAL, MRR, ACCURACY)
• Al2O3, SODIUM BICARBONATE → CLEANING, CUTTING, DEBURRING, ETC.
• SiC → FOR HARDER MATERIAL
• GLASS BEADS → GOOD FOR MATTE FINISH
• SIZE → 10 – 15 µm
SMALL → CLEANING & POLISHING
LARGE → CUTTING
• REUSE → NOT RECOMMENDED
• CONTAMINATION WITH CHIPS → MAY BLOCK NOZZLE PASSAGE
• LOWER CUTTING ABILITY
• LOW COST 16
Type of work material that can be machined:

• Good for Brittle/ Fragile materials

• Not so effective (or lower MRR) for ductile
materials

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 Carrier Gas

• It should be non toxic, cheap, easily available.

• It must not flare excessively when discharged from the nozzle.
• Commonly used gases are CO2, nitrogen, and air.
• Air is mostly preferred due to universal availability and its non-toxic nature.

Nozzle materials

 It has to withstand the erosive action of abrasive particles

 High resistance to wear
 Circular or rectangular cross section
Tungsten Carbide (WC) and sapphire

 Effect of feed rate

1. Low feed rate
2. Medium feed rate
3. High feed rate
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 Model proposed for material removal in AJM

• For brittle materials: A model proposed by Neema & Pandey

(Proceedings of International Conference, 1977)
• Assumption: MR by normal impact only (abrasive particles hit
the work surface at different angles)
0.1156𝜌𝑎 𝑀𝑎 𝑉𝑛2
𝑀𝑅𝑅(𝑘 𝑔 𝑠) =
103𝜎𝑓𝑤

𝜌𝑎 : abrasive particles density (kg/mm3)

Ma: mass flow rate of abrasive particles (kg/s)
Vn: Component of particle velocity (Va) normal to work surface
𝜎𝑓𝑤 : Flow stress of work material (Pa)
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 Model proposed for material removal in AJM

For ductile material, Sheldon & Kanhere (Wear

1972) proposed a model for MRR
3 𝑉3 𝜌 1.5
𝑘1 𝑑𝑚 𝑎 𝑎
𝑀𝑅𝑅(𝑚 3 𝑠) =
104.5 𝐻𝑉𝑊
• Where, K1 is constant of proportionality,
• Dm - mean dia of abrasive grain (mm),
• Va – Volume of impacting particle (mm3),
• 𝜌𝑎 − abrasive particles density (kg/mm3) and 𝐻𝑉𝑊 - Vicker’s diamond
pyramid hardness number of target (workpiece) material.

Amount of material removed is related to the depth of penetration of the

particle

20
Parametric Analysis

21
 Fish bone diagram for process parameters of AJM

Mixing Chamber
Nozzle Workpiece Parameters
Length of
Diameter Type Chamber Hardness
of Nozzle
Cross-section Process
of Nozzle Bore diameter
Responses
Nozzle Geometric
Type Details • Machining Rate
• Depth of Cut
Flowability Coherency • Kerf Quality
Volume fraction
Traverse •Surface roughness
Mixing Ratio Speed
Pressure
Type Type
Size Pressure
Stand Off
Distance (SOD)
Abrasive
Carrier Medium Process Parameters

22
 Effect of Nozzle tip distance (NTD) on cavity diameter

TYPICAL CUTTING ACTION IN AJM

D1
G1
G2
D2

G3
D3

G4
D4

Effect of nozzle tip distance (NTD) on cavity diameter G1<G2<G3<G4

and D1<D2<D3<D4.
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 Effect of Nozzle tip distance (NTD) on cavity diameter

Photograph of the actual machined cavity profile at different stand-off distance (a) 2
mm (b) 6 mm (c) 10 mm (d) 14 mm (e) 16 mm (f) 20 mm. DP = 30 microns, α = 0.148,
nozzle pressure = 147.15 kN/m2, cutting time = 60s 24
 Abrasive flow rate
• MRR increases only up to a certain
value of abrasive flow rate beyond
which it starts decreasing
• As abrasive flow rate increases, the
number of abrasive particles cutting
the material also increases thereby
increasing MRR.
• Lower abrasive flow rate leads to
lower MRR due to less No. cutting
edges
• After a certain value, abrasive flow
velocity decreases due to increased
mass fraction of abrasive and results
in reduction in MRR as jet Pr. Is
distributed in more no. of abrasive
particles.
• This effect becomes apparent with
flow rates greater than 14 g/min,
• To conserve nozzle life most
operations are performed at 10 g/
min. 25
 Nozzle Tip Distance
Effect of (NTD) on MRR when cutting glass
for 30 sec with 27 micron aluminum oxide
abrasive. Removal rate is maximized when
NTD is between 7 and 13 mm (0.27 and 0.50
in.).

• In cutting, nozzle is positioned very close to W/P, 0.8 mm

• At close NTD, cutting rates are compromised for the sake of increased accuracy
• close NTD eliminates taper and minimizes the kerf width.
• The typical divergence angle for an abrasive jet is 7°

• Increasing NTD to 5-12.5 mm, abrasive jet stream is widened, used for cleaning and peening
• Light-duty operations, such as glass frosting are accomplished with an NTD of 25-75 mm

At 0.75 -1 mm NTD, Max. MRR is achieved

Low NTD --- Higher accuracy, Low Kerf width, Low taper angle
At higher mixing ratio (M), MRR is also higher 26
Nozzle Pressure

• Little effect on MRR

• K.E removes material → Erosive action
• Certain minimum velocity for the given
material of workpiece
• For machining glass at 150 m/s using
SiC → 25 µm abrasive particle size

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 MIXING RATIO

 M=VOLUME FLOW RATE ABRASIVE / VOL. FLOW RATE OF CARRIER GAS

 MAXIMA OBSERVED BETWEEN ‘M & MRR’
 MASS RATIO = Ma/Ma+c
 MRRv = (Q) = cf(ө)m Vn/ 𝜎 given by Finnie (1960)

c & n → CONSTANTS ; 𝜎→ FLOW STRESS OF W/P

V → VELOCITY OF IMPACTING PARTICLE
m → MASS OF IMPACTING PARTICLE
ө → IMPINGEMENT ANGLE 28
Process capabilities

29
 PROCESS
PROCESS CAPABILITIES
CAPABILITIES

 Low MRR ~ 15 mm3 / min

 Intricate Details in hard and brittle material
 Narrow Slots (0.12 to 0.25 mm)
 Low tolerances (+0.12 to -0.12 mm)
 Minimization of taper – by properly setting angle of nozzle wrt workpiece
 Thin Sectioned, Brittle Material, Inaccessible Areas
 Almost no surface Damage
 Good surface finish 0.25-1.25 µm
 Minimum radius that can be produced is 0.2 mm
 Steels up to 1.5, glass up to 6.3 mm thick is possible to cut
 In thinner materials, taper is 0.005 in./in. of material thickness.
 If no taper can be tolerated on the cut edge, the nozzle or the workpiece
can sometimes be tilted to compensate. This has the effect of negative
taper on the part and doubling the taper on the scrap.

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 Applications
• Manufacture of electronic devices including fragile components
• Deburring of plastics, nylon, teflon parts
• Glass frosting
• Deflashing of small casting: Removing flash and parting lines from
injection moulded parts
• Deburring and polishing plastic, nylon and Teflon components
• Cleaning metallic mould cavities which otherwise may be inaccessible
• Cutting thin sectioned fragile components made of glass, ceramics, etc.
• Removing glue and paint from paintings and leather objects
• Frosting interior surfaces of glass tubes
• permanent marking on rubber stencils
• Drilling Glass Wafers, cutting titanium foils
• Cutting, marking, engraving, cutting thin
sectioned workpiece

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Applications of Abrasive Types and Nozzle Materials
S. No. Abrasive Grain size Machining operation
1. Aluminium oxide 10, 20, 50 µm Cutting and grooving
(Al2O3)
2. Silicon carbide (SiC) 25, 40 µm Cutting and grooving

3. Sodium bi-carbonate 27 µm Light finishing below 500C

temp
4. Dolomite ≈ 200 mesh Etching + polishing

5. Glass beads 0.635 – 1.27 µm Light polishing and fine

Deburring

S. No. Nozzle material Round (mm) Rectangular (mm) Nozzle life

1. WC 0.2 - 1.0 0.7x0.5 - 0.15x0.25 12 – 30 h

2. Sapphire 0.2 - 0.8 300 h
-

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 Advantages and disadvantages
• Advantages
 Ability to machine heat sensitive, brittle & fragile materials with thin sections
which are inaccessible by ordinary methods
 Very little or no heat generation due to non contact cutting and microscopic
material removal
 Low capital investment and low power consumption
 No part chatter or vibration
 Machines very hard materials
• Disadvantages
 Applications are restricted to brittle material because lower MRR in case of
ductile materials
 Some time additional cleaning operation is required to machined part as
Particles can embed into workpiece
 Stray cutting & Machining accuracy is poor i.e. Taper cut
 Nozzle wear rate is high
 The process tends to pollute the environment
 Low removal rate
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Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM) APPLICATIONS

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Solved Example & Question bank
Example 1: Diameter of the nozzle is 0.9 mm and the exiting jet
velocity is 300 m/s. The mixing ratio used is 0.3, find out the
volumetric flow rate of carrier gas and abrasive particles in mm3/s.
𝜋 2
Solution: Total volumetric flow rate = 𝑑 𝑣
4
3.14 2
𝑉𝑎 + 𝑉𝑅 = × 0.9 × 300 × 1000 𝑚 𝑚3 𝑠
4
𝑉𝑎
Mixing ratio = = 0.3 (𝑉𝑎 = Volumetric flow rate of abrasive)
𝑉𝑅
(𝑉𝑅 = Volumetric flow rate of carrier gas)
From above, Total volume flow rate = 190 × 103 𝑚 𝑚3 𝑠
𝑉𝑎
𝑉𝑅 ( + 1) = 𝑉𝑅 (0.3 + 1) = 190 × 103 𝑚 𝑚3 𝑠
𝑉𝑅
190 × 103
∴ 𝑉𝑅 = = 146.734 × 103 𝑚 𝑚3 𝑠
1.3
𝑉𝑎 = 44.02 × 103 𝑚 𝑚3 𝑠
 Questions
Q.1: Can you use AJM process for metallic as well as non-metallic
workpieces?
A.1: Yes. But very strong/hard materials cannot be machined
efficiently and economically

Q.2: Can you use 02 as carrier gas?

A.2: No. There is always a fire hazard.

Q.3: Can you get uniform diameter hole drilled by AJM process in
glass?
A.3: No. Because as the NTD keeps increasing the jet strength
(diameter) keeps decreasing and flaring keeps increasing.
 Question Bank
Q.1: what are the different elements of AJM. Write the name of carrier medium
used in AJM.
Q.2: Discuss the material removal mechanism of AJM. For which type of material
AJM is more suitable than others and why?
Q.3: What do you understand by the nozzle tip distance (NTD) and crater depth?
Write the value of nozzle tip distance and nozzle diameter generally preferred for
air as a carrier medium.
Q.4: Discuss the effect of changing the nozzle tip distance on the performance
characteristic of AJM?
Q.5: What is the effect of flaring of the jet on the dimension of cavity.
Q.6: Make a schematic diagram of AJM setup and explain the functions of each
element.
Q.7: What is the mechanism of feeding the abrasive particles in AJM?
Q.8: What are the desirable properties of carrier medium? Write down the name
of nozzle material and why the selection of a nozzle material is important?
Q.9: List out various abrasive materials used in AJM. How the abrasive particle size
is specified?
Q.10: Arrange the following abrasives in the increasing order of their hardness
(a) Al2O3 (b) SiC (c) CBN (d) Diamond (e) WC
Q.11: What do you understand by “Kerf quality”? Why SiC is used for harder material?
Q.12: Why the air is dehumidified before feeding to nozzle?
Q.13: Why reuse of abrasive particles is not preferred?
Q.14: Discuss the effect of (1) NTD, (2) Abrasive flow rate, and (3) Nozzle pressure on
the MRR.
Q.15: Discuss the effect of nozzle material on the performance of AJM.
Q.16: Match the following for the AJM
Carrier medium Low MRR
Brittle material 1 mm
Ductile material High MRR
NTD 3-5 mm
Nozzle diameter Air
Q.17: Fill in the blanks
1) SiC is used for ___________________________material
2) Mixing ratio is the ratio of __________________________________
3) Volumetric material removal rate is _____________________________________
THANK YOU

40