Numerical and experimental study on the flow characteristics and the erosive ability of magnetorheological jet

Fluid jet machining has been widely used in machining of hard-brittle materials. However, the diffusion of a jet flow significantly affects the erosion capacity. Magnetorheological (MR) fluid has been considered to take the role of pure water for carrying abrasive particles, due to its better concentration when the external magnetic field is applied. The present investigation focuses on the flow characteristics of a magnetorheological jet, which are involved in the basic aspects of erosion mechanism. 3D numerical models of excitation coil and jet flow field were established to investigate the fluid pressure distribution on the target surface and the trajectories of laden particles. Experiments were also conducted to verify the simulation results and evaluate the feasibility of a MR jet on surface finishing. The results indicated that the utilization of high magnetic intensity can effectively improve the concentration of a jet flow and the processing quality of workpiece surface.