Analysis of the Surface Morphology of the S235JRG1 Steel After an Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Process

The present paper discusses the impact of the speed of an abrasive water jet cutting process on some surface properties and morphology of the S235JRG1 steel. The values of the cutting speeds used for the analysis were of 100, 150 and 200 mm.min⁻¹respectively. A contact profile method was used to analyze the surface roughness during the conducted tests. In this study, the observed surface roughness parameters were the Ra, Rt and Rz, respectively. At the same time, these parameters were measured in three positions, i.e.: at the inlet (A), in the middle (B) and at the exit position (C) of the water jet nozzle with respect to the machined material. The experimental study showed that the roughness of the surface reached higher peaks and was more pronounced at the exit position (C) of the water jet. Similarly, it was also concluded that a better quality of the surface was achieved at a speed of 150 mm.min⁻¹.