An erosion model of polycrystalline ceramics in abrasive waterjet cutting

This paper investigates the erosion phenomenon associated with abrasive waterjet cutting of polycrystalline ceramics. The erosion mechanisms observed in this study include intergranular network cracking and plastic flow. Material removal due to network cracking is calculated with a crack network model which relates the fracture surface energy in forming the crack network to the energy of the impact induced stress waves. The contribution of plastic flow is evaluated with Finnie's model. The derived erosion model is verified with abrasive waterjet erosion experiments.