Predicting the geometric morphology of water jet machining in ultra-thick CFRP laminates based on analytical modeling

The kerf taper and cutting front drag are crucial factors limiting the abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining of ultra-thick CFRP laminates. Therefore, this study investigated the variation patterns of kerf width and maximum cutting front drag with process parameters and established predictive models. The models accurately predicted kerf entrance width, kerf exit width, and maximum cutting front drag with R-squares of 0.9881, 0.9761, and 0.9791. Moreover, the influence of the key kinematic parameter of complex structure manufacturing - the jet impact angle on the kerf profile was analyzed from a geometric analysis. A numerical regression approach was employed to derive an energy dissipation function for CFRP laminate processing. A semi-analytical mathematical model was established based on energy balance theory. Under arbitrary jet impact angle, the kerf profiles on both sides are predicted with R-square of 0.9455 and 0.9525 respectively, and the cutting front drag profile is predicted with R-square of 0.9078.