Mass flow rate measurement in abrasive jets using acoustic emission

The repeatability of abrasive jet machining operations is presently limited by fluctuations in the mass flow rate due to powder compaction, stratification and humidity effects. It was found that the abrasive mass flow rate for a typical abrasive jet micromachining setup could be determined by using data from the acoustic emission of the abrasive jet impacting a flat plate. Two methods for extracting the mass flow rate from the acoustic emission were developed and compared. In the first method, the number of particle impacts per unit time was determined by a direct count of peaks in the acoustic emission signal. The second method utilizes the power spectrum density of the acoustic emission in a specific frequency range. Both measures were found to correlate strongly with the mass flow rate measured by weighing samples of blasted powder for controlled time periods. It was found that the peak count method permits measurement of the average frequency of the impacts and the mass flow rate, but can only be applied to flow rates in which the impact frequency is approximately one order of magnitude less than the frequency of the target plate ringing. The power spectrum density method of signal processing is applicable to relatively fine powders and to flow rates at which the average impact frequency is of the same order of magnitude as that of the ringing due to the impact. The acoustic emission technique can be used to monitor particle flow variations over a wide range of time periods and provides a straightforward and accurate means of process control.