UNRAVELING THE MACHINABILITY OF NIMONIC 263: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING ABRASIVE WATERJET CUTTING

Abstract

The demand for high-performance materials in aerospace, automotive, and power generation industries has led to the development and utilization of advanced superalloys. Nimonic C-263/263, a nickel-based superalloy, is widely employed in critical components of jet engines, such as combustion chambers, heat exchangers, reformer tubes, gas turbine power generation components like turbine discs, shafts, and blades, due to its exceptional high-temperature strength, corrosion resistance, and creep properties. However, the inherent hardness and toughness of this alloy pose significant challenges for conventional machining processes. Abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJC) emerges as a promising alternative for the efficient machining of such difficult-to-cut superalloy materials. This paper presents an in-depth investigation on the machinability of thick Nimonic 263 superalloy plate material using AWJC, aiming to provide insights into the effects of process parameters, cutting performances, and resulting surface integrity due to change in declination angle measurement. An examination was also conducted on the pattern of striation formation under varying process parameters, utilizing digital microscopic images. The goal of the study is to establish a link between the parameters of striation production and the angle of jet impingement. The results indicate that a decrease in striation during the water jet processing of Nimonic 263 superalloy is caused by an increase in the declination angle.