Characterisation of abrasive water-jet process for drilling titanium and carbon fibre reinforced polymer stacks

Escobar-Palafox, Gustavo A. and Wika, Krystian K. and Gault, Rosemary S. and Ridgway, Keith (2012) Characterisation of abrasive water-jet process for drilling titanium and carbon fibre reinforced polymer stacks. In: 21st International Conference on Water Jetting: Looking to the Future, Learning from the Past - 2012, 2012-09-19 - 2012-09-22.

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Abstract

Experiments were carried out in stacks composed of titanium and carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) with the aim to investigate the effect of water-jet process variables on drilled diameter and surface condition. A design of experiments (DoE) approach was taken, considering variables such as water pressure, traverse rate, abrasive mass flow and stack set-up. Two different set-ups were investigated: CFRP over titanium (CFRP/Ti) and vice versa (Ti/CFRP). The experimental variables were related to taper ratio, surface roughness of the hole bore, hole quality and surface condition. Statistical analysis was carried out in order to develop mathematical models which include process variables interactions and quadratic terms. This led to models with high correlation and prediction power; which allow a better understanding of the process and can form the base for further process optimisation. The models were validated with additional experiments and showed good agreement with the water-jet system. The results showed that set-up and its interaction with other process variables has a strong influence on the performance of the abrasive water-jet system for producing holes in hybrid materials.

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