Dual-processing by abrasive waterjet machining—A method for machining and surface modification of nickel-based superalloy

© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) is widely used for machining of advanced (e.g. nickel-based) superalloys as it offers high material removal rates and low cutting temperatures. However, the inadequate surface integrity, e.g. large number of scratches and embedded particles in the machined surface, which would induce severe deteriorations of the materials functional performance, has been one of the greatest issues of the AWJ machining technique. To solve this problem, this research proposed a dual-process abrasive waterjet machining method, whereby two different functions of abrasive waterjet were employed: materials removal (first process) and surface modification (secondary process), hence, to improve the workpiece surface integrity. Two types of entrained particles, i.e. with sharp cutting edges (e.g. garnet) and smooth surfaces (e.g. stainless steel ball), that depending on their kinetic energy density can either cut or modify the workpiece surface respectively, are employed for these the two constitutive processes of the proposed dual-waterjet machining method. A critical standoff distance and inclination angle of the waterjet nozzle has been defined for the surface modification process thus, to eliminate the embedded particles and scratches left by the first cutting process while also introducing a surface strengthening effect. To support this approach, a mathematical model has been proposed for determining the surface modification parameters (e.g. jet feed speed and abrasive flow rate). In-depth analysis of the microstructural and metallurgical alternations of the machined workpiece surface and superficial layer have also been conducted to reveal the mechanisms responsible for the surface damage elimination and surface strengthening. Moreover, a four point bending fatigue test has been conducted to validate the mechanical performance, whereby a significant improvement of the fatigue life on the machined workpiece was achieved when compared with the case that single AWJ cutting method (91 %) and conventional machining (34 %) are employed. This proves that the proposed dual-processing AWJ machining method is of high efficiency to improve the functional performance of components on a single machine tool platform

Analytical model for predicting residual stresses in abrasive waterjet peening

Abrasive waterjet peening (AWJP) is a new mechanical surface treatment where particles are delivered by a waterjet to induce plastic deformation and achieve surface strengthening effects on a workpiece. Although fatigue strength can be improved by inducing compressive residual stress, the prediction of residual stress distribution remains challenging because particle–workpiece interaction occurs with randomicity, superposition, and overlapping. In this paper, a theoretical model is proposed for predicting workpiece plastic deformation and compressive residual stress by analysing i) the non-uniform energy distribution of the AWJP beam caused by the non-uniformity of the abrasive size, spatial distribution, and impact velocity; ii) material hardening among multiple impacts by abrasive particles; and iii) overlapping traces induced by the changing position of the AWJP beam. The AWJP experiments were conducted in single-pass/multiple-pass/multiple-overlapping footprints with different pump pressures, traverse speeds, and jet centre distances of the adjacent traces to validate the model. The results showed good agreement with the predicted surface roughness and compressive residual stress. Compressive residual stress increased with the pump pressure, whereas the effect of pump pressure change rate decreased when the pump pressure was increased; further, residual stress is nearly constant with the variation in traverse speed and jet centre distance of the adjacent traces when it decreases to a certain value. These results can act as references for the control of residual stress and the prediction model can aid industrial manufacturing in AWJP parameter optimisation (e.g. pump pressure, traverse speed, surface roughness, compressive residual stress, and centre distance between two adjacent traces)

Modelling and experimental study of surface treatment in abrasive waterjet peening of Nickel-based superalloy: Inverse problem

Abrasive waterjet peening (AWJP) is a promising method of surface treatment for modifying mechanical properties of components by introducing compressive residual stress (CRS) to a workpiece surface. Many efforts have been paid so far to modelling and optimisation of the AWJP process, however, most of these studies focus on the forward problems, i.e. estimating the CRS of workpiece surface according to processing parameters. There are still significant challenges in implanting different CRS at target areas in workpiece surface, which is the foundation of implanting uniform distribution of CRS on free-form surface or workpiece with uneven initial stress state. In this paper, a novel temporally and spatially controlled method for AWJP has been proposed, where the distribution of CRS can be adjusted by the optimisation of the abrasive waterjet parameters. That is, to achieve the AWJP system configuration for specific CRS on a target area, an inverse problem of CRS distribution has been modelled and solved, where the pump pressure, traverse speed and centre distance were optimised together to reach a prescribed CRS distribution. The proposed method was validated through experiments of implanting uniform distribution and non-uniform distribution of CRS at target areas. The results revealed that the maximum error between target and experimental CRS was only 14.25% in 18 sets of experiments. In addition, microstructure analysis of the AWJP surface suggested that a relatively low pump pressure and traverse speed can be selected to induce grain refinement and strain hardening layer on the workpiece surface without cracks and heavy surface topography fluctuations

Influence of surface integrity induced by multiple machining processes upon the fatigue performance of a nickel based superalloy

Machining operations are of key importance to the fatigue performance of nickel based superalloys due to the high thermal/mechanical loadings yielded on the machined workpiece which can significantly alter the surface integrity of the components. Therefore, understanding the influence mechanisms of machining induced surface integrity upon fatigue response is vital to determine their manufacturing processes and applications. In this respect, this paper investigates the surface integrity of nickel based superalloy subject to different mechanical and thermal loadings induced by various machining processes including conventional machining (e.g. finish and rough milling) and nonconventional machining (e.g. laser assisted milling and abrasive waterjet cutting) methods, as well as their influences upon fatigue performance and failure mechanisms. In-depth surface metallurgical and crystallographic analysis has been conducted to reveal the surface damage mechanisms, which allows the description of the machining induced mechanical and thermal alterations on the machined workpiece. Furthermore, the examination of the fractography from the fatigue specimen has been conducted, which enables the understanding of the influence mechanism of the corresponding surface defects on the fatigue crack initiation and propagation, subject to a four points bending fatigue test. While the resulted S-N curves indicate that the high cycle fatigue of machined nickel based superalloy is mainly dominated by the machining induced residual stress conditions, the surface defects from different machining processes can particularly influence fatigue crack initiation and propagation mechanisms in both the low and high cycle regimes