An experimental study on the dimensional accuracy of holes made by abrasive waterjet machining of Hardox steels

The manufacturing process of special steels like Hardox is usually difficult. Abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJ) is one of the machining processes which can be used in this case, with good results, as proved in previous research of the authors. This paper presents an experimental study on the influence of the AWJ main process parameters to the dimensional accuracy of holes manufactured in Hardox steels. The experiments were conducted using a L8(24) fractional factorial design matrix considering four parameters: the traverse speed, the part thickness, the hole dimension and the material type. Based on the measurement of the dimensions of the holes, the influence of those parameters was revealed and analyzed. The manufacturing time was also registered, as this parameter directly influences the production cost. Further research aims developing a mathematical model which will be a useful tool in workshop process planning.