Xiaochuan Wang

Effects of area discontinuity at nozzle inlet on the characteristics of self-resonating cavitating waterjet

The current research on self-resonating cavitating waterjet(SRCW) mainly focuses on the generation mechanism and structure optimization. Researches relating to the influences of disturbances at nozzle inlet on the characteristics of the jet are rarely available. In order to further improve the performance of SRCW, effects of area discontinuity(enlargement and contraction) are experimentally investigated using three organ-pipe nozzles. Axial pressure oscillation peak and amplitude as well as aggressive erosion intensity of the jet are used to evaluate the effects. The results reveal that area enlargement and contraction affect the peak differently, depending on the inlet pressure, nozzle geometry, and standoff distance; while area contraction always improves the amplitude regardless of these factors. At inlet pressures of 10 MPa and 20 MPa, area discontinuity improves the peak at almost all the testing standoff distances, while this only happens at smaller standoff distances with the inlet pressure increased to 30 MPa. The capability of area discontinuity for improving the amplitude is enhancing with increasing inlet pressure. Moreover, the cavitation erosion ability of the jet can be largely enhanced around the optimum standoff distance, depending on the type of area discontinuity and nozzle geometry. A preliminary analysis of the influence of area discontinuity on the disturbance waves in the flow is also performed. The proposed research provides a new method for effectively enhancing the performance of SRCW.

Numerical and experimental investigation on flow field characteristics of organ pipe nozzle

As a new technology that is developed rapidly in recent decades, water jet technology is widely applied in coal, petroleum, chemical industry, aviation, construction, etc. Self-resonant cavitating jet, by playing cavitation, is capable of great destruction. As a typical kind of self-resonant cavitating nozzle, organ pipe nozzle has its special application. In this paper, the flow field of organ pipe nozzle was numerical simulated. Nozzles with different structures were manufactured according to simulation results; their performances were tested on different driving pressure under the condition of submerging. The results showed that working pressure, cavity length and cavity diameter had influence on the characteristics of organ pipe nozzle and it exited optimum parameters.

Analysis and Numerical Simulation on the Reduction Effect of Stress Waves Caused by Water Jet Slotting Near Blasting Source

As one of the most serious “side effects” of blast excavation, blast-induced vibration must be controlled for existing buildings and human beings. This paper proposes a method for blast-induced vibration reduction with water jet assistance according to the cutting characters of low-noised, environment-friendly water jet. The mechanism of vibration-isolation with water jet assistance was analyzed, and the stress wave energy attenuation models were established based on blasting theory and stress wave theory. Influence law on shock wave attenuation by vibration-isolation slot was studied by numerical simulation. Simulation results agree with the theoretical analysis roughly. The results of this study put forward a method for blast-induced vibration near blasting source and provide a certain theoretical basis.

Experimental Investigation on Surface Quality Processed by Self-Excited Oscillation Pulsed Waterjet Peening

High-speed waterjet peening technology has attracted a lot of interest and is now being widely studied due to its great ability to strengthen metal surfaces. In order to further improve the mechanical properties of metals, self-excited oscillation pulsed waterjets (SOPWs) were used for surface peening with an experimental investigation focused on the surface topography and properties. By impinging the aluminum alloy (5052) specimens with SOPWs issuing from an organ-pipe oscillation nozzle, the hardness and roughness at various inlet pressures and stand-off distances were measured and analyzed, as well as the residual stress. Under the condition of optimum stand-off distances, the microscopic appearances of peened specimens obtained by SEM were displayed and analyzed. Results show that self-excited oscillation pulsed waterjet peening (SOPWP) is capable of improving the surface quality. More specifically, compared with an untreated surface, the hardness and residual stress of the peened surfaces were increased by 61.69% and 148%, respectively. There exists an optimal stand-off distance and operating pressure for creating the highest surface quality. SOPWP can produce almost the same enhancement effect as shot peening and lead to a lower surface roughness. Although such an approach is empirical and qualitative in nature, this procedure also generated information of value in guiding future theoretical and experimental work on the application of SOPWP in the industry practice.