Computer simulation of developing abrasive jet machined profiles including particle interference

A novel and generally applicable computer simulation was developed to predict the time evolution of the eroded profiles of air abrasive jet machined surfaces, as a function of process parameters such as: abrasive nozzle size, inclination and distance to target surface, abrasive jet particle velocity, size and flux distribution. The effect of collisions between incoming and rebounding particles was included by the tracking of individual particles, performing inter-particle and particle to surface collision detection, and implementing collision kinematics. The target surface advancement was determined by representing the surface by a grid of cubic cells, each of which was assigned a damage parameter based on the number of particles impacting it. The predictions of eroded profiles of the simulation were tested against those that are experimentally measured for a typical microabrasive blasting setup, with good agreement at low particle flux, and reasonable agreement at high particle flux.