Modulation of cutting operation with abrasive waterjets

Abrasive waterjet cutting has already been established in many fields of industrial production. Yet limited cutting performance and cutting ege quality hinder a wider distribution of abrasive cutting systems. As major limiting factor process immanent step propagation and thus striation formation can be spotted. Better understanding and control of these processes could result in reduction of striation and better cutting performance. This paper focuses on modulations of the jetting process as a promising possibility of process controlling. Nonlinear phenomena were indentified to strongly influence the appearance of striation structures. With adequate control strategies it was proven that these effects could be used to influence the step initiation and the step propagation process. The experiments showed that an improvement of the cutting performance could be achieved by using adequate cutting parameter sets. In this experimental approach the influence of sub- and superharmonic frequencies was observed. This technique could prove as a promising new way of optimizing both quality and performance of abrasive waterjet cutting, qualifying this brilliant technique for even more innovative applications.