Joseph Giedra
Friction and Wear of Materials
Project Proposal
Advances in technology have created many useful tools used for the advancement of manufacturing.
One of which is the water jet cutter. The water jet cutter is a tribological tool that uses water and an
abrasive substance to cut through a diverse range of materials and sizes. The operation works much like
natural erosion, however at a much faster rate. The versatility of this tool allows for it to be used in
many diverse disciplines or fields. Many "high level" variables exist such as the base materials, abrasive
materials, equipment variation, and process variation. These variables can drastically affect the
performance of the process.
This project will investigate the science behind the water jet cutter. This includes but is not limited to:
-Tribological theory and micro-processes
-Effects of equipment variation
-Effects of process variation
-Tooling uses and capability