2134/21436 F. Boud F. Boud J.W. Murray J.W. Murray L.F. Loo L.F. Loo A.T. Clare A.T. Clare Peter Kinnell Peter Kinnell Soluble abrasives for waterjet machining Loughborough University 2016 Abrasives Embedment Grit Soluble Waterjet Mechanical Engineering not elsewhere classified 2016-06-02 08:59:10 Journal contribution https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Soluble_abrasives_for_waterjet_machining/9569357 © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The addition of hard abrasives to the jet in waterjet machining can improve machining rate, however, embedding of particles in machined surfaces is a limitation, which results in reduced fatigue life, and limits the application of well adhered subsequent coatings to the surface. In this study, softer soluble abrasives were investigated as a potential solution. Soluble abrasives yielded a higher material removal rate compared to plain waterjet, although were not as effective as traditional hard abrasives. Soluble abrasives reduced grit embedment on all four workpiece materials. A post-machining surface cleaning operation demonstrated that any remaining soluble abrasive could be removed.