1

A
SEMINAR REPORT
On
WATER JET MACHINE

Submitted
By
MD ASIF
Department of Mechanical Engineering

GLOBAL TECHNICAL CAMPUS

GLOBAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
ITS-1, IT Park, EPIP SITAPURA JAIPUR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGG

Global College of Technology,
Sitapura, Jaipur 302022
2013-17
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Global College of Technology

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
JAIPUR (RAJASTHAN)-302022

CERTIFICATE

GLOBAL COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

This is to certify that this seminar report on “Water jet machine” by MD ASIF
13EGCME724. To the department of Mechanical engineering, GCT Jaipur, for
award of degree of Btech in Mechanical Engineering is bonafide record of work
done by him. The content of the seminar record has not been to any college or
university for the award of degree.

Mr. SUNIL KUMAR JATOLIYA

MAHESH KUMAR YADAV MD ASIF
CO-ORDINATOR Student
(Signature) (Signature)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Mr Sunil Kumar Jatoliya (Assistant professor) and Mahesh Kumar yadav
(Assistant professor) department of Mechanical engineering. It would’nt be possible complete the
work without his assistance and hardwork, I’m obliged to his great effort on presenting us firmly in
seminar.
I would like to thank Mrs Bhavna Mathur, HOD, department of mechanical engineering, she has
always created good environment to enhance confidence and boost the student to present themselves.
She is good support through every thick and thin.
I’m also thankful to the hardworking effort of Prof.Mrs Renu Joshi(Director) Git. She is the back
1bone of our each and every move.

MD ASIF
(13EGCME724)
Mechanical Engineering

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PAGE INDEX

 Content PAGE
NO
Certificate (I)
Acknowledgement (II)
Content (III)
List of figure (IV)

CHAPTER 1

1: INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER 2
2.1 HISTORY 4
2.1.1 1800 5
2.1.2 1850 7
2.1.3 1935 9
2.1.4 1990 10
CHAPTER 3
3.1 WORKING 11
3.1.1 High pressure water jet cutting 12
3.2 Type of pump 12
3.2.1 Intensifier 12
3.2.2 Direct drive 14
3.3 Principle of water jet cutting 15
3.3.1 Water jet cutting with pure water 17
3.3.2 Water jet cutting with abrasive 18
3.3.3 Water jet cutting with suspension 19
3.4 Part of water jet cutter 20
3.4.1 Electric motor and hydraulic pump 20
3.4.2 Directional control valve 21
3.4.3 Intensifier 22
3.4.4 Hydraulic cylinder 22

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3.4.5 Piston 23
3.4.6 Plunger 24
3.4.7 High pressure cylinder 25
3.4.8 Check valve 25
3.4.9 End cap 26
3.4.10 High pressure tubing 28
3.4.11 High pressure attenuate 28
3.4.12 Inlet water 30
3.5 Control and PLC 31
3.5.1 On-off valve 32
3.6 Abrasive feeding system 33
3.6.1 Pressurized bulk hopper 33
3.6.2 Mini-hopper 33

Conclusions 35
References 36

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 List of figure

1.1 water jet cutter 1

1.2 Nozzle 2
1.3 Water jet cutter operation 3
2.1 Old model of water jet system 5
3.1 Horizontal water jet cutter 11
3.2 Intensifier pump 13
3.3 Direct drive 14
3.4 mouth piece of jet 15
3.5 Vertical water jet 16
3.6 Half section view of water jet 17
3.7 Suspension jet 19
3.8 Intensifier pump cabinet 20
3.9 Directional control valve 22
3.10 Intensifier 23
3.11 Hydraulic cylinder 23
3.12 piston and plunder 24
3.13 Ceramic plunger 24
3.14 High pressure cylinder 25
3.15 View of upper portion of Intensifier cabinet 26
3.16 Check valve body cross section 26
3.17 Fillet cap 27
3.18 Pressure alienator 29
3.19 Pressure fluctuation prior to accumulator 29
3.20 Water inlet system 30
3.21 On-off valve 32
3.22 Back hopper 33
3.23 Abrasive material feeding 34

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Chapter 1

1.1Introduction:-

A water jet cutter, also known as a water jet or water jet, is an industrial tool capable of cutting a
wide variety of materials using a very high-pressure jet of water, or a mixture of water and an
abrasive substance. The term abrasive jet refers specifically to the use of a mixture of water and
abrasive to cut hard materials such as metal or granite, while the terms pure water jet and
water-only cutting refer to water jet cutting without the use of added abrasives, often used for
softer materials such as wood or rubber.

Water jet cutting is often used during fabrication of machine parts. It is the preferred method when
the materials being cut are sensitive to the high temperatures generated by other methods. Water jet
cutting is used in various industries, including mining and aerospace, for cutting, shaping, and
reaming.

Fig1.1:- Water jet cutter

Cutting steel, concrete, glass and marble with water - sounds a bit far-fetched doesn’t it? Way back
in the 1950s, a forestry engineer by the name of Norman Franz started fiddling around

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with a high-pressure water stream to cut lumber. His aim was to streamline the process and reduce
the strain on traditional cutting equipment such as saw blades, which easily became blunt and
needed replacing. From these humble beginnings an idea was born, and over the next couple of
decades, water cutting became an unparalleled method for cutting materials of all types, shapes
and sizes.

FIG1.2:- nozzle

The end product? A water jet cutter – a machine capable of slicing metal and other materials such
as granite and marble with unbelievable accuracy. It does this by using a jet of water at high
velocity and pressure, sometimes mixed with an abrasive substance, depending on the material that
is being cut. Water jet cutters are usually used to cut materials such as rubber, foam, plastics,
leather, composites, stone, tiles, metals, food and paper. However, they can’t cut tempered glass,
diamonds and certain ceramics

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Fig1.3:- water jet cutter operation.

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CHAPTER 2

2.1 HISTORY:-

While using high-pressure water for erosion dates back as far as the mid-1800s with
hydraulic mining, it was not until the 1930s that narrow jets of water started to appear as an
industrial cutting device. In 1933, the Paper Patents Company in Wisconsin developed a paper
metering, cutting, and reeling machine that used a diagonally moving water jet nozzle to cut a
horizontally moving sheet of continuous paper.[2] These early applications were at a low pressure and
restricted to soft materials like paper.

Water jet technology evolved in the post-war era as researchers around the world searched for new
methods of efficient cutting systems. In 1956, Carl Johnson of Durox International in Luxembourg
developed a method for cutting plastic shapes using a thin stream high-press ure water jet, but those
materials, like paper, were soft materials.[3] In 1958, Billie Schwacha of North American Aviation
developed a system using ultra-high-pressure liquid to cut hard materials.[4] This system used a
100,000 psi (690 MPa) pump to deliver a hypersonic liquid jet that could cut high strength alloys
such as PH15-7-MO stainless steel. Used as a honeycomb laminate on the Mach 3 North American
XB-70 Valkyrie, this cutting method resulted in delaminating at high speed, requiring changes to the
manufacturing process.[5]

While not effective for the XB-70 project, the concept was valid and further research continued to
evolve water jet cutting. In 1962, Philip Rice of Union Carbide explored using a pulsing water jet
at up to 50,000 psi (345 MPa) to cut metals, stone, and other materials.[6] Research by
S.J. Leach and G.L. Walker in the mid-1960s expanded on traditional coal water jet cutting to
determine ideal nozzle shape for high-pressure water jet cutting of stone,[7] and Norman Franz in
the late 1960s focused on water jet cutting of soft materials by dissolving long chain polymers in
the water to improve the cohesiveness of the jet stream.[8]

In the early 1970s, the desire to improve the durability of the water jet nozzle led Ray Chadwick,
Michael Kurko, and Joseph Corriveau of the Bendix Corporation to come up with the idea of
using corundum crystal to form a water jet orifice,[9] while Norman Franz expanded on this and
created a water jet nozzle with an orifice as small as 0.002 inches (0.05 mm) that operated at pressures
up to 70,000 psi (483 MPa).[10] John Olsen, along with George Hurlburt

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and Louis Kapcsandy at Flow Research (later Flow Industries), further improved the commercial
potential of the water jet by showing that treating the water beforehand could increase the
operational life of the nozzle.[11]

Fig 2.1 old model of water jet system

2.2.1 1800:-

Hydraulic mining had its precursor in the practice of ground sluicing, a development of which
is also known as "hushing", in which surface streams of water were diverted so as to erode gold-
bearing gravels. This was originally used in the Roman empire in the first centuries AD and BC,
and expanded throughout the empire wherever alluvial deposits occurred[2] The Romans used ground
sluicing to remove overburden and the gold-bearing debris in Las Medullas of Spain, and
Dolaucothi in Britain. The method was also used in Elizabet han England & Wales (or rarel for
developing lead, tin and copper mines.1

Water was used on a large scale by Roman engineers in the first centuries BC and AD when the
Roman empire was expanding rapidly in Europe. Using a process later known as hushing, the
Romans stored a large volume of water in a reservoir immediately above the area to be mined; the
water was then quickly released. The resulting wave of water removed overburden and exposed
bedrock. Gold veins in the bedrock were then worked using a number of

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techniques, and water power was used again to remove debris. The remains at Las Medullas and in
surrounding areas show badland scenery on a gigantic scale owing to hydraulic king of the rich
alluvial gold deposits. Las Medullas is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site shows the
remains of at least seven large aqueducts of up to 30 miles in length feeding large supplies of water
into the site. The gold-mining operations were described in vivid terms by Pliny the Elder in
his Naturalist Historia published in the first century AD. Pliny was a procurator in Hispania
Terraconensis in the 70's and must have witnessed for himself the operations. The use of
hushing has been confirmed by field survey and archaeology at Dolaucothi in
South Wales, the only known Roman gold mine in Britain.

The modern form of hydraulic mining, using jets of water directed under very high pressure through
hoses and nozzles at gold-bearing upland paleo gravels, was first used by Edward Matteson near
Nevada City, California in 1853 during the California Gold Rush.[3] Matteson used canvas hose
which was later replaced with crinoline hose by the 1860s.[4] In Califor nia, hydraulic mining often
brought water from higher locations for long distances to holding ponds several hundred feet above
the area to be mined. California hydraulic mining exploited gravel deposits, making it a form of placer
mining.

Early placer miners in California discovered that the more gravel they could process, the more gold
they were likely to find. Instead of working with pans, sluice boxes, long toms, and rockers, miners
collaborated to find ways to process larger quantities of gravel more rapidly. Hydraulic mining
became the largest-scale, and most devastating, form of placer mining. Water was redirected into an
ever-narrowing channel, through a large canvas hose, and out through a giant iron nozzle, called a
"monitor." The extremely high pressure stream was used to wash entire hillsides through enormous
sluices.

By the early 1860s, while hydraulic mining was at its height, small-scale placer mining had largely
exhausted the rich surface placers, and the mining industry turned to hard rock (called quartz
mining in California) or hydraulic mining, which required larger organizat ions and much more
capital. By the mid-1880s, it is estimated that 11 million ounces of gold (worth approximately US$7.5
billion at mid-2006 prices) had been recovered by hydraulic mining in the California Gold Rush.

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2.2.2 1850:-

High-pressure vessels and pumps became affordable and reliable with the advent of steam power.
By the mid-1850s, steam locomotives were common and the first efficient steam-driven fire engine
was operational.[12] By the turn of the century, high-pressure reliability improved, with locomotive
research leading to a six fold increase in boiler pressure, some reaching 1600 psi (11 MPa).
Most high-pressure pumps at this time, though, operated around 500– 800 psi (3–6 MPa).

High-pressure systems were further shaped by the aviation, automotive, and oil industr ies. Aircraft
manufacturers such as Boeing developed seals for hydraulically boosted control systems in the
1940s,[13] while automotive designers followed similar research for hydraulic suspension systems.[14]
Higher pressures in hydraulic systems in the oil industry also led to the development of advanced seals
and packing to prevent leaks.[15]

These advances in seal technology, plus the rise of plastics in the post-war years, led to the
development of the first reliable high-pressure pump. The invention of Marlex by Robert Banks and
John Paul Hogan of the Phillips Petroleum company required a catalyst to be injected into the
polyethylene.[16] McCartney Manufacturing Company in Baxter Springs, Kansas, began
manufacturing these high-pressure pumps in 1960 for the polyethylene industry.[17] Flow Industries
in Kent, Washington set the groundwork for commercial viability of water jets with John Olsen’s
development of the high-pressure fluid intensifier in 1973,[18] a design that was

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further refined in 1976.[19] Flow Industries then combined the high-pressure pump research
with their water jet nozzle research and brought water jet cutting into the manufacturing world.

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2.2.3 1935:-

While cutting with water is possible for soft materials, the addition of an abrasive turned the water
jet into a modern machining tool for all materials. This began in 1935 when the idea of adding an
abrasive to the water stream was developed by Elmo Smith for the liquid abrasive blasting.[20] Smith’s
design was further refined by Leslie Terrell of the Hydro blast Corporation in 1937, resulting in
a nozzle design that created a mix of high-pressure water and abrasive for the purpose of wet
blasting.[21] Producing a commercially viable abrasive water jet nozzle for precision cutting came next
by Dr. Mohamed Hashish who invented and led an engineer ing research team at Flow Industries to
develop the modern abrasive water jet cutting technology.[22] Dr. Hashish, who also coined the new
term "Abrasive Water jet" AWJ, and his team continued to develop and improve the AWJ
technology and its hardware for many applications which is now in over 50 industries worldwide. A
most critical development was creating a durable mixing tube that could withstand the power of
the high-pressure AWJ, and it was Boride Products (now Kennametal) development of their
ROCTEC line of ceramic tungsten carbide composite tubes that significantly increased the
operational life of the AWJ nozzle.[23] Current work on AWJ nozzles is on micro abrasive water
jet so cutting with jets smaller than 0.015 inch in diameter can be commercialized

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2.2.4 1990:-

As water jet cutting moved into traditional manufacturing shops, controlling the cutter reliably and
accurately was essential. Early water jet cutting systems adapted traditional systems such as
mechanical pantographs and CNC systems based on John Parsons’ 1952 NC milling machine and
running G-code.[24] Challenges inherent to water jet technology revealed the inadequacies of
traditional G-Code, as accuracy depends on varying the speed of the nozzle as it approaches
corners and details.[25] Creating motion control systems to incorporate those variables became a
major innovation for leading water jet manufacturers in the early 1990s, with Dr John Olsen of
OMAX Corporation developing systems to precisely position the water jet nozzle[26] while
accurately specifying the speed at every point along the path,[27] and also utilizing common PCs as
a controller. The largest water jet manufacturer, Flow Internatio nal (a spinoff of Flow Industries),
recognized the benefits of that system and licensed the OMAX software, with the result that the vast
majority of water jet cutting machines worldwide are simple to use, fast, and accurate.[28]

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CHAPTER 3

3.1 Working:-

At its most basic, water flows from a pump, through plumbing and out a cutting head. It is simple
to explain, operate and maintain. The process, however, incorporates extremely complex
materials technology and design.

To generate and control water at pressures of 87,000 psi requires science and technology not taught
in universities. At these pressures a slight leak can cause permanent erosion damage to components if
not properly designed.

Thankfully, the water jet manufacturers take care of the complex materials technology and cutting-
edge engineering. The user need only be knowledgeable in the basic water jet operation.

Flow machines are designed to operate as both pure and abrasive water jets. A pure water jet is
used to cut soft materials, and within just 2 minutes the very same water jet can be transformed
into an abrasive water jet to cut hard materials. With any type, the water must first be pressurized.

Fig 3.1 horizontal water jet cutter

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3.1.1 High pressure water jet cutting:-

Water is pressurized to very high pressures, in excess of 50,000 psi. This pressurization is
accomplished with the use of pumps of various designs, discussed next in this chapter.

The high pressure water is transported through a series of stainless steel tubes to a cutting head.
Depending upon the material being cut, the cutting head can be either a "pure water cutting head"
or an "abrasive cutting head."

In the cutting head, the high pressure water is forced through a small diameter orifice. The diameter
of this orifice is anywhere from 0.004" to 0.020". This step converts the pressure of the water jet
stream into speed. We go from potential energy to kinetic energy. Coming out of the orifice, the
water jet stream is moving at 2200 mph or faster. Higher pressure results in higher speed. Smaller
diameter orifices yield a faster water jet stream, but also a stream with less kinetic energy since
there is not as much water available to accelerate abrasive grains to full speed.

In a pure water cutting head, the water immediately exits the cutting head after passing through the
orifice. The speed and power of the water jet stream is enough to cut soft or thin materials like
foam, rubber, soft wood, plastics, carpet, food, car headliners, circuit boards and more.

In an abrasive cutting head, a very hard abrasive, typically garnet, is fed into the water jet stream.
The abrasive particles are accelerated to near the speed of the water jet stream. This gives the
abrasive particles much power. The abrasive water jet stream now travels down through an
abrasive nozzle, or mixing tube, approximately 3 inches long with an inner diameter of between
.030" and 0.050". The mixture of water and abrasive exits the abrasive nozzle and will cut hard
materials like metals, stone, acrylic, ceramic, composites, phenolic and porcelain.

A CNC control will move the cutting head in up to 6 axes of motion to cut the targeted work piece.

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3.2 Types of pumps:-

3.2.1 Intensifier
Intensifier pumps are called intensifiers because they use the concept of pressure intensifica t ion or
amplification to generate the desired water pressure.

If you apply pressure to one side of a cylinder and the other side of the cylinder is the same surface
area, the pressure on the other side will be the same. If the surface area of the smaller side is half,
then the pressure on that side will be doubled. Generally with intensifier pumps there is a 20
times difference between the large surface area (where the oil pressure is applied) and the small
surface area (where the water pressure is generated). The following picture shows this concep

Ultimately, there must be a restriction in the flow of water in order for the pressure to be generated.
This restriction is generated by the orifice in the cutting head. Pressure is mainta ined until the orifice
diameter exceeds the limits for water output of the pump.

For very small diameter orifices, in order to maintain pressure, the pump only needs to cycle very
slowly to maintain pressure. As the orifice gets larger, the pump must work faster to maintain
pressure and water flow. If the orifice gets too large, the pump tries to cycle too fast for the design
specification. An "over stroke" situation is sensed by the control and the pump is stopped with
an error message.

If there are leaks in the water circuit between the pump and the cutting head, this can also result in
a pump "over stroke" situation. The leaks effectively rob water available to go to the cutting head.
The same as putting in too large of an orifice, the pump runs faster to maintain pressure until it
reaches its limit.
Typically, intensifiers stroke at around 50 - 60 strokes per minute when working at full capacity

fig 3.2 Intensifier pump

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3.2.2 Direct Drive

A direct drive pump works like a car’s engine. A motor turns a crankshaft attached to 3 or more offset
pistons. As the crankshaft turns, the pistons reciprocate in their respective cylinders, creating
pressure in the water. Pressure and flow rate are determined by how fast the motor turns the
crankshaft. Direct drive pumps cycle much faster than intensifiers, on the order of 1750 revolutions
per minute. Direct drive pumps generally are found in lower pressure applications (i.e. 55,000
pounds per square inch and under). Maintenance on the direct drive pump tends to take longer than
an intensifier pump. Direct drive pumps can only run more than one cutting head only if all cutting
heads are cutting the same part at the same time. With an intensifier pump, you could have cutting
heads on multiple machines, cutting different parts, cycling the various cutting heads on and off
in any sequence. The intensifier pump will need to only vary its stroke rate accordingly to maintain
flow and pressure.

Fig 3.3 direct drive pump

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3.3 Principles of water jet cutting

There are two types of water jet cutting processes; pure water cutting, in which the cutting is performed
using only an ultra-high pressure jet of clean water, and abrasive water jet cutting in which an
abrasive (typically garnet) is introduced into the high pressure stream.

Pure water cutting can be employed to profile a huge variety of materials, these will typically be
'soft' materials such as gaskets, rubber, foam & plastics. Filtered tap water is fed into an intensifier
pump where it is pressurised to (typically) 60,000psi. This ultra-high pressure water is forced
through a tiny (0.15mm) orifice jewel which is normally manufactured from sapphire. This has the
effect of focusing the beam of water into a fine, accurate stream travelling at speeds of up to
900m/sec, capable of accurate cutting of a wide range of soft materials.

In order to cut 'harder' materials or any material containing glass or metal, then abrasive water jet
cutting would be employed. The principles of abrasive water jet cutting are similar to pure water jet
cutting, but once the stream has passed through the orifice it enters a carbide nozzle. Within this nozzle
is a mixing chamber within which a partial vacuum is created as the water passes through. Garnet
is introduced under gravity into the nozzle and the partial vacuum within the mixing chamber has
the effect of dragging the abrasive into the water stream to create a highly abrasive cutting jet.
Abrasive cutting would typically be used on materials such as stainless steel, aluminium, stone,
ceramics & composite materials.

Fig 3.4 mouth piece of jet

In both processes the head is controlled by a CNC controller, this offering great accuracy and
repeatability. The CNC controller is programmed by first drawing the part to be manufact ured using
proprietary software, and then converting this drawing into a G code format – CNC language.

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Fig 3.5 vertical water jet

Water jet cutting is a cold grinding or cutting process. It combines the advantages of laser – precision
– with those of water: water jet cutting is thermoneutral. In addition to laser cutting, water jet cutting
is becoming increasingly important in Switzerland and Germany. No thermal stresses occur with
water jet cutting. The microstructure of the material and the material strength remain. There are
no cures, distortions, dripping slag, melting or toxic gases.

In all processes, the cutting heads with the focusing nozzles are integrated in a guiding machine (robot,
2D or 3D portal). The controlled CNC axes enable 2D, 2.5D or 3D cutting processes. These
processes can cut almost all materials – hard like steel and glass, but also fragile and extremely soft
materials – without stress forces. Water jet cutting has three principles: the pure water jet principle
“WJ”, the abrasive water jet principle “AW” and the suspension jet princip le, which is still at
development stage.

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3.3.1 Water jet cutting with pure water:-

With pure water jet cutting “WJ”, a pure water jet with a diameter of 0.1 mm cuts the material at
up to three times the speed of sound (at speeds of up to 200 m/min). These materials include textiles,
elastomers, fibers, thin plastics, food, paper, cardboard, leather, thermoplas t ic materials or food.
The water is pressurized to 1,000–6,000 bar (standard approximately 3,800 bar). After flowing
through a high-pressure needle valve, the water enters a 200 mm long and 3 mm in diameter wide
collimation tube (calming section). It is then pressurized by a water nozzle or a dynamic pressure
nozzle and accelerated. The jet speed varies according to geometry and pressure. The small
diameter of the water nozzle produces a very high loc al energy density, which remains constant
on a relatively long section in the direction of the water jet and cuts cleanly and accurately when
hitting the material.

Fig3.6 half section view of water jet

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3.3.2 Water jet cutting with abrasives:-

With abrasive water jet cutting, compact and hard materials such as metals (including steel), hard
stone, glass (including bullet-proof glass) and ceramic are separated. Before the concentrated jet
of water hits the material, a cutting material of the finest grain size (abrasive) is added in the
required dose in a mixing chamber, which ensures micro cutting. The water serves as an accelerator
for the abrasive particles and hits the material with an impact speed of 800 m/s, thereby removing it
with precision. Until the water jet is produced, abrasive water jet cutting is identical to pure water jet
cutting. The difference is that the pure water jet is no longer used just for cutting, but as a carrier
material for the abrasive particles. The pure water jet flows into a mixing chamber, into which the
abrasive particles are then introduced. At the end of the mixing chamber is the focusing tube, in which
the abrasive grains in the water jet are accelerated and confined to a specific cross-section.

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3.3.3 Water jet cutting with suspension jet

With the suspension jet principle or water abrasive suspension jet cutting, a pre-prepared mixture
of abrasive particles and water is discharged under high pressure from a cutting nozzle. However, the
abrasive agent is not added at the nozzle but is pressurized under the exclusio n of air. Therefore,
a water-abrasive mixture (a suspension) is expelled from the cutting nozzle under high pressure.
This enables higher cutting performance, allows greater thicknesses and almost all materials to be
cut. However, there is a delay in the start and stop of the cutting operation, since the abrasive feed
cannot be switched on and off as rapidly as in injectio n cutting. This is one disadvantage when
high-precision cutting is required. The wear on the valves and nozzles is also much larger and
attainable pressures are smaller. Therefore, this principle is only seldom used on an industrial scale.

Fig 3.7 suspension jet

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3.4 PARTS OF WATER JET CUTTER:-

3.4.1. Electric motor and hydraulic pump

The electric motor and hydraulic pump (number 1 in picture above) create the oil pressure needed
for the oil side of the intensifier. This assembly is normally in the lower portion of the pump cabinet.
The electric motor and pump are rated in HP (or kW for metric). Typical pump sizes are 30 HP, 50
HP, 75 HP, 100 HP and 150 HP As discussed in the previous chapter, each pump will have an
associated water output volume (gallons per minute) and pressure (psi).

Again it is important to remember that HP is not necessarily an indication of pressure. A 150 HP

pump doesn’t necessarily create more pressure than a 50 HP pump. Horsepower is more directly
related to water output, since more HP will be needed to create enough power to move the
piston/plunger assembly in the intensifier at the required stroke rate.

Fig3.8 Intensifier pump cabinet (150 HP)

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3.4.2. Directional control valves

One of the most important considerations in any fluid power system is control. If control components
are not properly selected, the entire system does not function as required. In fluid power, controlling
elements are called valves. There are three types of valves: 1. Directio nal control valves (DCVs):
They determine the path through which a fluid transverses a given circuit. Pressure control valves:
They protect the system against overpressure, which may occur due to a sudden surge as valves
open or close or due to an increase in fluid demand. 2. Flow control valves: Shock absorbers are
hydraulic devices designed to smooth out pressure surges and to dampen hydraulic shock. In
addition, the fluid flow rate must be controlled in various lines of a hydraulic circuit. For example,
the control of actuator speeds can be accomplis hed through use of flow control valves. Non-
compensated flow control valves are used where precise speed control is not required because
the flow rate varies with pressure drop across a flow control valve. It is important to know the
primary function and operation of various types of control components not only for good
functioning of a system, but also for discovering innovative methods to improve the fluid power
system for a given application. 1.2Directio nal Control Valves A valve is a device that receives an
external signal (mechanical, fluid pilot signal, electrical or electronics) to release, stop or redirect the
fluid that flows through it. The function of a DCV is to control the direction of fluid flow in any
hydraulic system. A DCV does this by changing the position of internal movable parts. To be more
specific, a DCV is mainly required for the following purposes:  To start, stop, accelerate,
decelerate and change the direction of motion of a hydraulic actuator.  To permit the free flow from
the pump to the reservoir at low pressure when the pump’s delivery is not needed into the system.  To
vent the relief valve by either electrical or mechanical control.  To isolate certain branch of a
circuit. 2 Any valve contains ports that are external openings through which a fluid can enter and
exit via connecting pipelines. The number of ports on a DCV is identified using the term “way.”
Thus, a valve with four ports is a four-way valve A DCV consists of a valve body or valve housing
and a valve mechanism usually mounted on a sub-plate. The ports of a sub-plate are threaded to hold
the tube fittings which connect the valve to the fluid conductor lines. The valve mechanism directs the
fluid to selected output ports or stops the fluid from passing through the valve. DCVs can be classified
based on fluid path, design characteristics, control methods and construction

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Fig 3.9 Directional Control Valve

3.4.3. Intensifier
The intensifier proper (3 in Figures 4 and 2) consists of the hydraulic cylinder (4), high pressure
cylinders (7), and check valves (8) and end caps (9). Not visible from the outside are the piston and
plunger.

Fig 3.10 Intensifier

3.4.4. Hydraulic cylinder

The hydraulic cylinder (4 in Figures 2 and 5) houses the piston and is the area where the hydraulic
oil does its work. The directional control valves control the flow of oil into and out of each side
of the hydraulic cylinder.

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At each end of the hydraulic cylinder is an end plate that is used to connect the hydraulic cylinder
to the high pressure cylinder. The two end plates for the hydraulic cylinder are connected and
pulled tightly in place with 4 tie rods and bolts.

Fig 3.11 Hydraulic cylinder

3.4.5. Piston
The piston (number 5 in Figures 2 and 6) is the larger diameter cylindrical part located within the
hydraulic cylinder (4 in Figures 2 and 5). The piston effectively splits the hydraulic cylinder into a
left side and a right side. Oil cannot pass from one side to the other past the piston. It must exit
and enter the hydraulic cylinder through the hoses attached to the directional control valve. The
hydraulic oil pressure is exerted onto either side of the piston in an alternating fashion so that a
back-and-forth movement of the piston and plunger assembly is generated.

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Fig 3.12 Piston (5) and plunger (6) assembly

3.4.6. Plunger
The plungers (6 in Figure 7) are the two smaller diameter shafts that are connected to each side of
the piston. The attachment point is inside of the hydraulic cylinder. The other ends of the plungers
extend into the left and right high pressure cylinders. Seals are placed around the plunger shaft to
keep oil from seeping into the water side of the pump, and vice versa. The plungers are made out
of either stainless steel, or, more recently, ceramic. Ceramic is used because of its ability to handle
heat and high pressure with little thermal expansion.

Fig 3.13 Ceramic plunger

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3.4.7. High pressure cylinder

The two high pressure cylinders (7 in Figures 8 and 2) are where the water is pressurized. They are
usually referred to as "left hand side" and "right hand side." The high pressure cylinders are machined
out of very thick stainless steel and treated in order to withstand the extreme pressures they are
put under on a continual, cyclical basis.

Fig 3.14 High pressure cylinder (7)

3.4.8. Check valve

There is one check valve (number 8 in Figures 10 and 8) at the end of each high pressure cylinder
at the end opposite from the hydraulic cylinder. The check valve allows fresh water to enter the high
pressure cylinder and high pressure water to exit the intensifier. The check valve is designed to
only let water flow in one direction. Fresh water comes in though channels machined in the sides
and exits through one or more holes in the face of the valve. Various seals, poppets and springs
are used to maintain this water flow. Over several hundred hours these components will wear,
allowing pressurized water to flow out the water inlet path, or allowing pressurized water to seep
back into the high pressure cylinder. The symptoms and diagnosis of these various situations will be
discussed later in the "Maintenance" chapter.

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Fig 3.15 View of upper portion of intensifier cabinet

Fig 3.16 Check Valve Body cross-section

3.4.9. End Cap

The end cap (number 9 in Figures 11 and 2) is either a cylindrical or square item. The
cylindrical version screws onto the output end of the high pressure cylinder. The square type is

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held in place with tie rods and bolts. The end cap has a hole in the center for the check valve and
outlet body. It will also have a connection point for the incoming fresh water. The water flows
through holes machined through the cap to line up with inlet holes in the check valve

Fig 3.17 fillets caps

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3.4.10. High pressure tubing

High pressure 304 or 316 stainless steel tubing (number 10 in Figure 11) is attached to the outlet
of each check valve. Common outer diameters are 0.25", 0.313", 0.375" and 0.563". Inner
diameters range from 0.062" to 0.312". There is usually a flexible protective covering around the
tube.

The high pressure tubing from the left hand high pressure cylinder will join together at some point
with the high pressure tubing from the right hand cylinder. The high pressure tubing carries the
pressurized water to the pressure attenuator. Additional high pressure tubing will channel the high
pressure water to the cutting head.

The length, number of bends and other obstructions to flow (e.g. hand valves) in the high pressure
tubing path must be taken into consideration when designing a high pressure water jet system.
Pressure will drop with each bend in the tubing. Also, as the distance between the pump and the
cutting head increases, internal friction of the water as it drags against the inner walls will generate
heat resulting in a loss of water pressure. This topic will be discussed in more detail in the Chapter
5 "Pressure Drop in Tubing."

3.4.11. Pressure attenuator

The pressure attenuator (number 11 in Figures 13 and 2) smoothest out variations in pressure after
the high pressure water has exited the intensifier. With each reversal of cycle of the intensifier, there
is a slight delay in the increase of water pressure in the opposite high pressure cylinder. This delay is
due to: 1) reversal of motion where instantaneous velocity at the end of the stroke equals zero,
and 2) mechanical delays of reversal. All of these factors can result in a drop in water pressure. Some
manufacturers do use proprietary technology to reduce this pressure drop, which we suggest you
investigate when selecting a pump. Generally, if a 50 HP pump can sustain a 0.014" orifice at 60,000
psi continuous operating pressure, the implica t ion is that this hydraulic pressure drop challenge will
have been addressed.

Figure 14 shows the pressure fluctuations in the high pressure water line prior to the pressure
accumulator. This shows a pressure change from high to low of almost 22,000 psi. So, for a 60,000
psi system, the high pressure water would be going from 60,000 psi to 40,000 psi after every stroke
of the intensifier.

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If this pressure fluctuation were not smoothed out by the pressure attenuator, cutting results at the
work piece would be undesirable. There would be a significant line in the part with every stroke of
the intensifier. Recall that any change in pressure results in a change in speed of the water jet stream
at the cutting head. This change in speed changes the speed at which the abrasive particles are
moving and, therefore, the amount of force they will impact on the work piece. Lower pressure leads
to less speed of the water which leads to less force of the abrasive which leads to slower cutting, or
rougher edge quality.

Fortunately the pressure attenuator smoothest out these pressure spikes so that the water at the cutting
head maintains a steady pressure, speed and cutting power

Fig3.18 Pressure Attenuator

Fig3.19 Pressure fluctuation prior to accumulator

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3.4.12. Inlet water

Prior to entering the pump cabinet, water may have to be treated to get the water within the water
jet manufacturer’s specifications. Within the pump cabinet, usually in the lower portion, the water
will typically go through one or more final filters just prior to entering the intensifier (number 12 in
Figures 15 and 2).

The inlet water must be able to maintain a specified flow rate and pressure to ensure that the intensifier
receives enough water. Incoming water must also meet certain requirements with respect to Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS), pH, organic matter, temperature, etc. Poor water quality will result in
drastically reduced high pressure component life (i.e. anything the high pressure water comes in
contact with). Different pump manufacturers require different inlet water pressures, with some
needing as little as 30 psi, and others mandating a water pressure booster pump to maintain 100 psi.
Water quality will be discussed in more detail in the chapter 4 "Water QUILITY

Fig 3.20 water inlet system

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3.5 Controls and PLC

The controls and PLC (not pictured) control the valves in the hydraulic circuit to determine the pressure
and flow of the hydraulic oil to and from the intensifier. Various sensor and proximity switches can
also be integrated into the controls to monitor the entire pump to verify things like stroke rate, oil
temperature and pressure, inlet water pressure and flow rate and more. This capability makes working
with and troubleshooting the modern day intensifier much easier.

3.5.1 On-Off Valve

The pneumatic On-Off valve controls the flow of water to the cutting head. The On-Off valve at
the cutting is "normally closed." That is, when there is no compressed air supplied to the On- Off
valve, a needle fits tightly against a seat to stop any high pressure water from getting to the cutting
head. When compressed air is supplied to the On-Off valve (i.e. "tool on" command from the
control), the needle is forced up from its seating location and the high pressure water can flow
through the orifice to the cutting head.

In, or near, the high pressure pump cabinet is another On-Off valve that works in tandem with the
On-Off valve at the cutting head. The On-Off valve in the pump is typically called the Safety
Relief valve. This Safety Relief valve in the pump is "normally open." This valve will stay open
when there is no air supplied to it. When the On-Off valve at the cutting head closes ("tool off"
command by control or no power to the system), the Safety Relief valve in the pump will open,
relieving all water pressure from the high pressure tubing. When the "tool on" command is issued
by the control, the Safety Relief valve closes so that all high pressure water will go to the cutting
head. Note, not all manufacturers of new pumps have the Safety Relief valve as standard. We
strongly suggest you ask your pump manufacturer if they supply this standard, and when it is activated.
Again, some pump manufacturers will only activate the Safety Valve when an E-Stop is pressed;
when the pump stops, high pressure lines are still pressurized.

Both of these On-Off valves must be in good working order to protect against accidental high
pressure water discharge at the cutting head that could severely injure someone working on or near
the cutting head or any of the high pressure lines. Periodic replacement of the needle, seat and
associated parts is required to maintain these valves.

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Fig 3.21 on/off valve

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3.6 Abrasive feeding system

3.6.1 Pressurized Bulk hopper:-
Abrasive is transported via tubing and pressure from a large bulk hopper located near the water jet
cutting system to a mini- hopper near the cutting head. Bulk hoppers will normally hold anywhere
from several hundred pounds of abrasive to 2200 pounds. If you are cutting with one head and
1.4 pounds per minute of abrasive, then you are consuming about 84 pounds per hour. An 1100
pound hopper would last about 13 hours of operation. This would mean that the machine could run for
well over a shift before it needed to be refilled. Most water jets are provided with approximately
600 pound hoppers, which would equate to about 7 hours of operation. So, at least once during an 8
hour shift the hopper would need to be reloaded. The costs associated with the additional downtime
over the course of a year should be evaluated.

Fig 3.22 bulk hopper

3.6.2 Mini-hopper

A mini- hopper is typically mounted near and above the cutting head. Most of these mini- hoppers
allow for a gravity feed of abrasive down to the cutting head. Many mini- hoppers control the
amount of abrasive that can go down to the cutting head with the use of a slide with different size holes
in it. The operator can change the position of the slide to change the amount of abrasive to the
cutting head.

A recent advance in technology is remote CNC-control of the amount of abrasive released from the
mini- hopper. Having this capability allows for optimum feeding of abrasive to the cutting head in
relation to the water pressure at the pump for the following desirable capabilities:

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 Piercing of fragile materials like glass or stone. Typically a lower water pressure
will be used with a smaller amount of abrasive

 Changing abrasive amount for different abrasive nozzle sizes to optimize part
cost. This can be done automatically if the mini hopper is set up to do this.

Fig 3.23 abrasive material feeding

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CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION:-

As a conclusion, the experiment that have been carried out were successful, even though the data
collected are a little bit difference compared to the theoretical value. The differe nce between the
theoretical value and the actual value may mainly due to human and servicing factors such as
parallax error. This error occur during observer captured the value of the water level. Besides that,
error may occur during adjusting the level gauge to point at the white line on the side of the
weight pan. Other than that, it also maybe because of the water valve. This error may occur because
the water valve was not completely close during collecting the water. This may affect the time taken
for the water to be collected. There are a lot of possibilities for the experiment will having an error.
Therefore, the recommendation to overcome the error is ensure that the position of the observer’s
eye must be 90° perpendicular to the reading or the position. Then, ensure that the apparatus
functioning

perfectly in order to get an accura

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REFERENCE

1. http://www.cee.mtu.edu/~dwatkins/ce3600_labs/impact_of_jet.pdf

2. http://www.eng.ucy.ac.cy/EFM/Manual/HM%2015008/HM15008E- ln.pdf

3. http://staff.fit.ac.cy/eng.fm/classes/amee202/Fluids%20Lab%20Impact%20of%20a%20Jet.
pdf

4. WIKIPEDIA

5. http://www.wardjet.com/water jet-university

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