An investigation into abrasive water jet machining of TRIP sheet steels using Taguchi technique and regression models

Abstract

An experimental investigation of abrasive water-jet machining (AWJM) of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) multi-phase sheet steels using design of experiments was carried out. The quality characteristics selected for examination were the Kerf mean width and average surface roughness. The process parameters were the nozzle diameter, the stand-off distance and the traverse speed. For the design of experiments the Taguchi methodology was applied. Optimal process parameter values were identified and regression models were applied to the experimental results and were tested by using evaluation experiments. All the predictions are reasonable and compares well with the experimental values. The experimental design indicated that the nozzle diameter is the most important parameter that affects the mean Kerf width and surface roughness followed by the stand-off distance. The proposed methodology could be easily applied to different materials and initial conditions giving reliable predictions, resulting in process optimization and providing a possible way to avoid time- And money-consuming experiments. © Springer-Verlag London 2013