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WATER JET CONFERENCE - Waterjet Technology Association

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clog; there not being sufficient area to allow the water and abrasive to escape without back<br />

pressure.<br />

The length of the discharge tube is not of such a critical nature and is usually in the order<br />

of 21/2" to 4" from the plenum chamber to discharge point into free air.<br />

CUTTING PARAMETERS.<br />

As well as factors which have already been discussed, such as outlet tube diameter, the<br />

rate of cut is also effected by the following<br />

Pressure:<br />

Generally the rate of cut is increased the higher the pressure is (Figure 17). Flow and<br />

nozzle size will also have their effect on the final performance.<br />

Standoff Distance:<br />

While it is generally true that the closer a cutting head is to the work piece the more<br />

efficient the cut, this cannot be carried to extremes. In the same way that too small a discharge<br />

tube will cause the head to back pressure and clog, the same thing will happen if the discharge<br />

tube is too close. This is particularly true if the head is at right angles to the work piece. For all<br />

practical purposes this means that the head should normally not be used closer than a 1/4” from<br />

the work piece. The maximum distance at which effective cutting can take place is determined<br />

by the operating pressure, coherance of the water jet and the horsepower of the power unit. As an<br />

example a 75 horsepower unit is capable of cutting through 4" steel plate, 18" of reinforced<br />

concrete and 10 X 8 'I' Beams in a single slow pass.<br />

Quantity of Abrasive.<br />

The rate and depth of cut are proportional to the amount of abrasive within certain limits.<br />

Above a certain point the performance drops off in the manner shown in Fig 4 as for abrasive<br />

cleaning heads.<br />

Abrasive Type.<br />

The cutting performance of various abrasives is shown in Fig.18. Again the cutting effect<br />

of copper slag and silicon carbide is similar with sand being a very inferior abrasive.<br />

CUTTING DATA:<br />

Steel Cutting. Figure '19' shows a .5" mild steel plate which has been slotted using a water<br />

abrasive cutting head. As in most cutting operations the head was angled in the direction of<br />

travel approximately 30°, so the deflected jet was carrying out a preliminary grooving cut. The<br />

slot tapered from approximately 1/4" on the entry side to 7/32" on the exit side of the cut. The<br />

quality of the cut with the absence of rough edges and burrs, as formed by flame cutting and<br />

abrasive wheels, is an ideal weld preparation for joining pipes and plates together.<br />

Stone Cutting.<br />

Fig.'20' shows a piece of Darley Dale Limestone slotted using water and abrasive. This<br />

sample was cut under the following conditions :2" thick Darley Dale Limestone cut at 36" per<br />

461

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