A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of the impact characteristics and stagnation formation on a solid target surface by an abrasive waterjet at supersonic velocities is presented to understand the impact process. A CFD model is developed and verified by experimental water and particle velocities and then used to simulate the jet impact process. The trends of the stagnation formation and its effect on the jet flow with respect to the jetting and impacting parameters are amply discussed. It is found that stagnation formation at the impact site increases with an increase in the impact time, nozzle standoff distance and nozzle diameter, while the initial peak velocity at the nozzle exit has little effect on the size of the stagnation zone. It is shown that stagnation markedly changes the water and particle flow direction, so that the particle impact angle is varied and the jet impact area is enlarged. The jet structure may be classified to have a free jet flow region, a jet deflection region with a stagnation zone and a wall jet region. Furthermore, the stagnation affects significantly the waterjet and particle energy transferred to the target surface. The average particle velocity across the jet is reduced by approximately one third due to the damping effect of the stagnation under the conditions considered in this study.

The fabrication of miniature structures on components with high-integrity surface quality represents one of the cutting edge technologies in the 21st century. The materials used to construct such small structures are often difficult-to-machine. Many other readily available technologies either cannot realise necessary precision or are costly. Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) is a favourable technology for the machining of difficult-to-machine materials. However, this technology is generally aimed at large stock removal. A reduction in the scale of this technology is an attractive avenue for meeting the pressing need of industry in the production of damage-free micro features. This paper reviews some of the work that has been undertaken at UNSW Sydney about the development of such an AWJ technology, focusing on the system design currently employed to generate a micro abrasive jet, the erosion mechanisms associated with processing some typical brittle materials of both single- and two-phased. Processing models based on the findings are also presented. The review concludes on the viability of the technology and the prevailing trend in its development.

针对在微观上存在尖锐突起、凹坑和划痕等缺陷的光学元件,提出用低质量分数磨料水射流冲击的方式对其进行处理。从弹性接触出发,对射流中粒子与元件发生塑性接触的临界速度进行了推导,并引入了塑性转入脆性加工的临界速度,从而对射流的塑性去除阶段作了明确的界定。针对常用的两种光学材料K9和石英玻璃,结合具体参数对使其处于塑性去除阶段的射流速度进行了模拟计算,利用单颗粒冲击去除模型,在塑性去除范围内对两种材料的冲击去除进行了模拟计算。结果表明：石英玻璃进入塑性去除的临界速度高于K9玻璃,而进入脆性去除的临界速度低于K9玻璃,因而使石英玻璃处于塑性去除阶段的射流速度范围为K9玻璃相应速度范围的子区间；在塑性去除阶段,各材料的去除量皆随着冲击速度的增大而增大,但较硬的石英玻璃更不耐冲击,较K9玻璃更容易被去除。