Analysis of striation formation mechanism in abrasive water jet cutting

In this paper the macro-mechanism of abrasive water jet (AWJ) cutting is studied from the point of cutting front and striation formation analysis. The striation on the surface cut with AWJ is a characteristic phenomena which is strongly present when cutting with high traverse velocities for particular material type and thickness of workpiece. The connection between the cutting front step formation and striation formation is explained through series of experiments, which include visual observations of cutting transparent material and through analogies, which deal with river meandering and wear of pneumatic conveyor bends.