Investigation on the Usage of Some Non-Almandine Garnet Minerals as Abrasive Material in Waterjet Cutting

In this study, some non-almandine garnet minerals were investigated in terms of their usage possibilities as alternate abrasive materials in waterjet cutting operations. For this purpose, garnet samples were taken from various deposits and mineralization zones in Turkey. These samples were crushed, ground, screened, concentrated and prepared as having desired particle size distribution, and then used in waterjet cutting practices performed on different materials. Cut surfaces were also investigated by measuring the roughness of the surfaces formed after waterjet cutting. At the result of this study, it is observed that quality of the cut surfaces were very close to each other, thus other garnet minerals such as grossularite, andradite, and spessartite can be used for this purpose efficiently. Keywords: Garnet minerals, Abrasive, Waterjet cutting, Cut surface quality 

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