Effect of Water Pressure During Abrasive Waterjet Machining of Mg-Based Nanocomposite

The pressure of the waterjet influences the overall performance of the abrasive waterjet cutting system through operational and phenomenological effects. In this study, the effect of water pressure in surface quality of Mg-based nanocomposite was investigated. The as-machined surfaces were examined by field emission scanning electron microscope to determine the surface morphology. The surface topography of selected nanocomposite was examined and compared. The results show that the surface quality is better at higher pressure. However, at lower water pressure, there is too much interaction among the low-energy abrasive particles and this may cause insufficient material removal. Abrasive waterjet cutting seems to be promising tool for machining metal matrix composites in terms of no thermal damages, no micro-structural changes and negligible sub-surface damages on the machined surface.