Machining Ni-Cr-Fe based superalloy using abrasive water jet cutting process and its surface studies

In this paper, the machinability of Ni-Cr-Fe based superalloy is studied using abrasive water jet cutting process. Experiments have been performed by varying the cutting process parameters namely: water jet pressure (240, 260 and 280 MPa), jet travel speed (20, 30 and 40 mm/min) and stand-off-distance (1, 2 and 3 mm). Material removal rate (MRR), kerf, and average surface roughness are measured as response parameters to evaluate process productivity and surface quality simultaneously. The influence of individual process parameters is identified using analysis of variance. Subsequently, the wear tracks are studied using electron microscopy. From the analysis, it is found that the jet travel speed is the most significant parameter. Conclusively, abrasive water jet cutting at 260 MPa jet pressure, 30 mm/min jet travel speed, and 1 mm stand-off-distance resulted in optimum responses i.e. kerf (0.0428), MRR (37.1835 mm3/min) and Ra (3.757 μm).