Roughness Control of Surfaces Using a Laser Profilometer with the Selected Material Cutting Technology.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Manufacturing Technology
• Surface Metrology

Background:

• Abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining is a versatile cutting process.
• Controlling surface roughness is crucial for functional applications.
• Optimizing AWJ parameters requires understanding material-specific responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of abrasive water jet cutting parameters on surface roughness.
• To investigate the relationship between cutting head feed rate and achieved surface finish.
• To validate non-contact roughness measurement accuracy against contact methods.

Main Methods:

• AWJ cutting of structural steel (S235JRG1) and aluminum alloy (AW 5754) at varying feed rates.
• Non-contact surface roughness measurement using a laser profilometer.
• Contact roughness measurement using a stylus profilometer for validation.
• Analysis of roughness parameters Ra (average roughness) and Rz (maximum height of the profile).

Main Results:

• Feed rate significantly influences the resulting surface roughness (Ra and Rz) in AWJ cutting.
• Laser profilometer measurements showed good correlation with contact gauge measurements.
• The study demonstrated the capability to achieve customer-specified roughness levels through feed rate control.

Conclusions:

• Abrasive water jet cutting feed rate is an effective parameter for controlling surface roughness.
• Laser profilometry provides an accurate and efficient method for measuring surface roughness in AWJ applications.
• Material stiffness and cutting parameters must be carefully considered to achieve desired surface finish.