The impact of ultrasonic-induced jet morphology on polishing efficiency

In the abrasive jet polishing (AJP) process, applying ultrasonic vibration to the jet beam can effectively improve the cutting kinetic energy of the abrasive particles, but it simultaneously causes significant variations in the jet morphology. However, less research has been done on the relationship between the jet morphology and the polishing efficiency. This paper established a fluid mechanic model to study the effect of jet morphology evolution on the polishing efficiency. The accuracy of the computational results was verified from multiple perspectives through the high-speed camera capture, the targeted erosion experiments and the polishing experiments. It was found that there exists an effective target distance for each amplitude, beyond which ultrasonic vibration cannot improve the polishing efficiency. The effective target distance can be expanded by reducing the amplitude or increasing the frequency. The research findings reveal the evolution process of the pulse morphology induced by the ultrasonic vibration and the variation pattern of pulse dynamic pressure with respect to the target distance, which can provide a theoretical basis for designing the vibration parameters in the AJP process enhanced by the ultrasonic vibration.