Alumina AWJM Surface Roughness Optimization

Abrasive water jet (AWJ) technology is a non-traditional machining method that combines high-pressure water jets with hard abrasive particles. It achieves material cutting, milling, or surface treatment through mechanical erosion caused by high-speed impacts. This technique is particularly effective for processing hard and brittle materials such as alumina ceramics, as it minimizes thermal damage and improves surface integrity. This study investigates the surface roughness of alumina ceramic plates subjected to multiple-pass abrasive water jet milling. First, a multi-pass milling experimental scheme was designed, employing a two-step milling strategy-coarse abrasives for rough machining and fine abrasives for finishing. Subsequently, single-factor experiments were conducted to explore the effects of key parameters-including jet pressure, standoff distance, nozzle traverse speed, lateral feed rate, and abrasive grain size-on surface roughness. A multi-factor orthogonal experiment (using \(\:\text{L}16({4}^{4}\times\:{2}^{1})\) mixed-level orthogonal table) was then designed to optimize process parameters and analyze the relative significance of each factor. Experimental results show that the two-step milling approach significantly reduces surface roughness. Under the optimized parameter combination, the minimum surface roughness Ra values in the x and y directions reached 1.25 \(\:{\mu\:}\text{m}\) and 1.18 \(\:{\mu\:}\text{m}\), respectively. The optimal parameter ranges were identified as: jet pressure of 240–260 MPa, lateral feed rate of 0.8 mm, standoff distance of 15 mm, nozzle traverse speed of 150 mm/min, and abrasive grain size of 80 mesh. This study provides a theoretical basis and process optimization strategy for efficient, low-damage machining of hard and brittle materials, further expanding the application of abrasive water jet technology in the manufacturing of precision ceramic components.