Material removal in abrasive waterjet machining of metals - A residual stress analysis

The influence of cutting parameters and material properties on the residual stress fields resulting from abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining of metals was analyzed. The measurement and evaluation were conducted using X-ray diffraction with the sin(2) psi and X-ray integral method (RIM) of analyses. For all materials and cutting conditions, a significant bi-axial compressive residual stress was observed in the plane of the machined surface. Although the normal stresses increased in magnitude with larger abrasive sizes, changes in cutting pressure had minimal influence. In addition, no clear trends were apparent between the mechanical properties of the metals and residual stress fields. However, it was found that the magnitude of residual stresses in the plane of the machined surface increased considerably with the material's melting temperature. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.