Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Nozzle in Abrasive Water Jet Machining

Abrasive water jet cutting is one of the most recently developed non-traditional manufacturing technologies. The general nature of flow through the machining, results in rapid wear of the nozzle which decrease the cutting performance. It is well known that the inlet pressure of the abrasive water suspension has main effect on the erosion characteristics of the inner surface of the nozzle. The objective of the project is to analyze the effect of inlet pressure on wall shear and exit kinetic energy. The analysis would be carried out by varying the inlet pressure of the nozzle, so as to obtain optimized process parameters for minimum nozzle wear. The two phase flow analysis would be carried by using computational fluid dynamics tool CFX. The availability of minimized process parameters such as of abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) is limited to water and experimental test can be cost prohibitive.