Machining performance evaluation under recently developed sustainable HAJM process of zirconia ceramic using hot SiC abrasives: An experimental and simulation approach

The proposed research work accomplishes the experimental study and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique for erosive footprint prediction extent in hot abrasive jet machining (HAJMing) constraints on target surface erosion rate, surface roughness of intricately shaped tapered holes generation. The CFD-obtained footprints were in superior agreement with experimentally measured data. HAJMing process uses a relatively high speed air-hot abrasive stream to produce both high accuracy micro-channels and tapered holes. HAJM also defines itself phenomenal competence over all advanced manufacturing techniques due to its growing demands for better surface reliability with defects (mostly stress, heat) free surfaces. Zirconia is widely accepted and associated in the non-conventional machining processes and industries with the years of track on record of proven performance in a vast number of brittle materials. Most perceptible act in this research is the selection of abrasive particle to achieve the appropriate intricate shaped holes on zirconia ceramic with hot silicon carbide (SiC) abrasives. Machining of these features are done with varying the abrasive temperature. Optical microscopic view was considered for the generation of machined holes during HAJMing. All the experimental data were presented to study the effect of machining constraints on target surface erosion rate and surface roughness using HAJMing. Single impact experiments were executed to measure the target surface erosion due to impact of individual hot silicon carbide abrasive particles. An experimental setup has been designed to conduct the machining trials using Box-Behnken design of experiments. It is also shown that the generated workpiece surface contour and erosion rate are the function of machining constraints which have a negligible influence on air-abrasive flow characteristics. This research work also deals with the sustainability assessment under environmental-friendly hot abrasive-assisted machining conditions.