An experimental investigation has been undertaken to study the depth of cut in multipass abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting of an 87% alumina ceramic with controlled nozzle oscillation. The experimental data have been statistically analysed to study the trends of the depth of cut with respect to the process parameters. It has been found that multipass cutting with controlled nozzle oscillation can significantly increase the depth of cut. Within the same cutting time and using the same cutting parameters other than the jet traverse speed, it has been found that multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation can increase the depth of cut by an average of 74.6% as compared to single pass cutting without nozzle oscillation. Furthermore, a multipass cutting with higher nozzle traverse speeds can achieve a larger depth of cut than a single pass cutting at a low traverse speed within the same cutting time. A recommendation has been made for the selection of appropriate process parameters for multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation. In order to estimate the depth of cut on a mathematical basis, predictive models for the depth of cut in multipass cutting with and without nozzle oscillation have been developed using a dimensional analysis technique. The model development starts with the models for single pass cutting which are then extended to multipass cutting where considerations are given to the change of the actual standoff distance after each pass and the variation of kerf width. These predictive models has been numerically studied for their plausibility by assessing their predicted trends with respect to the various process variables, and verified qualitatively and quantitatively based on the experimental data. The model assessment reveals that the developed models correlate very well with the experimental results and can give adequate predictions of this cutting performance measure in process planning.

An experimental investigation has been undertaken to study the depth of cut in multipass abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting of an 87% alumina ceramic with controlled nozzle oscillation. The experimental data have been statistically analysed to study the trends of the depth of cut with respect to the process parameters. It has been found that multipass cutting with controlled nozzle oscillation can significantly increase the depth of cut. Within the same cutting time and using the same cutting parameters other than the jet traverse speed, it has been found that multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation can increase the depth of cut by an average of 74.6% as compared to single pass cutting without nozzle oscillation. Furthermore, a multipass cutting with higher nozzle traverse speeds can achieve a larger depth of cut than a single pass cutting at a low traverse speed within the same cutting time. A recommendation has been made for the selection of appropriate process parameters for multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation. In order to estimate the depth of cut on a mathematical basis, predictive models for the depth of cut in multipass cutting with and without nozzle oscillation have been developed using a dimensional analysis technique. The model development starts with the models for single pass cutting which are then extended to multipass cutting where considerations are given to the change of the actual standoff distance after each pass and the variation of kerf width. These predictive models has been numerically studied for their plausibility by assessing their predicted trends with respect to the various process variables, and verified qualitatively and quantitatively based on the experimental data. The model assessment reveals that the developed models correlate very well with the experimental results and can give adequate predictions of this cutting performance measure in process planning.