**Abstract**

Dimensional processing of products made from hard alloys and superhard materials is of a certain interest for contemporary high-technology production, as it enables creation of half-finished or final products of various geometric shapes from workpieces obtained by sintering. In this case conventional methods, first of all abrasive processing and electroerosion cutting, find limited application, which is caused by special features of the structural condition and physical and mechanical properties of the materials of the processed workpieces. The functional approach can be used in working of composite workpieces from laminated superhard materials. The performed research with the use of hydro-abrasive cutting (HAC), laser cutting (LC), laser cutting with water cooling (LCC), and water jet-guided laser (WJGL) has enabled studying of the intensity of destruction area introduction into the worked piece and finding out the functional features of a particular process that are caused by the working conditions. It has been shown that the hypothesis of quasistationary rate of destruction is unacceptable for such materials, which is caused by the structure and high hardness of the material. It has also been determined that when deepening increases, the rate of jet introduction has a pronounced tendency toward reduction.

**Keywords:** carbon materials, carbon composite, water-jet-guided laser process, jet methods

### **1. Introduction**

Dimensional processing of products made from hard alloys and superhard materials, in particular, contour cutting prismatic and circular plates and arbitrary shaped flat workpieces, is of a certain interest for contemporary high-technology production, as it enables creation of half-finished or final products of various geometric shapes from workpieces obtained by sintering.

In this case conventional methods, first of all abrasive processing and electroerosion cutting, find limited application, which is caused by special features of the structural condition and physical and mechanical properties of the materials of the processed workpieces. Processing of products made from laminated compounds is especially complicated as there is a danger of breakage of adhesion bonds in the "base-surface layer" plane. Workpieces made from such products include diamond carbide (DC) composite containing an upper (working) layer of polycrystal superhard composite on the basis of synthetic diamond (PCD) and a lower (supporting) layer from hard alloy based on tungsten carbide (HA), obtained by sintering in high-pressure apparatus [1].

It was demonstrated that, first of all, liquid blasting and laser blasting have good prospects in industrial use for cutting flat workpieces from polycrystal superhard materials (PSHM) and HA, as they allow creation of the cut surface with sufficient efficiency. However, the problems of provision of high quality of the worked surfaces of the products have not yet been solved in full.

So, surfaces of products from HA and PSHM obtained by the mentioned methods are characterized by high roughness and essential deviation of the shape. In Ref. [2], it is shown that hybrid processing methods based on a combination of different ways of power and other flows impact on the material that make it possible to essentially reduce working hours necessary for production and improve the quality of processing. At the same time, analysis of the final product from the point of view of its useful functions enables improvement of the method and scientific substantiation of most rational ways of impact on the workpiece to achieve the maximum quality level.

functions be weakened and useful ones, in their turn, be obtained in the minimum number of steps. Under these conditions a technological process can be considered prospective if weakening or complete elimination of harmful functions takes place

*Classification of the object functions: B, basic; S, secondary; D, derived (obtained without special provision);*

Analysis of typical products of mechanical engineering from the point of view of functional approach reveals that practically always creation of a particular useful consumer function *Fp* will go together with manifestation of neutral *Fn* and harmful

*Fp* ¼ *Fpz, Fv* ¼ 0*, Fn* ! min*,* (1)

*Fvk:* (2)

*WvpFpk:* (4)

*Fnj* <sup>þ</sup><sup>X</sup> *p*

*WnqFpj* <sup>þ</sup><sup>X</sup>

*p*

*k*¼1

*k*¼1

*Fv* ¼ *pFp, Fn* ¼ *qFp:* (3)

*Fv* functions. Then a product having only useful (under certain conditions)

where *Fpz* are the product useful functions having the following matrix of

*Fpi* <sup>þ</sup>X*<sup>m</sup> j*¼1

As there is a functional interrelation between separate functions, that is,

taking into account the fact that a function is created by a separate TP step in the form of transformation element *Wp*, Eq. (2) can be presented in the

*j*¼1

*<sup>W</sup>*р*Fpi* <sup>þ</sup>X*<sup>m</sup>*

Hence, an equation of restrictions (1) and optimization (2) makes it possible to choose the most rational material carriers of functions on the basis of morphological analysis and then to pass to material carriers in the technological process creating

along with creation of useful functions during the steps.

*Cutting Superhard Materials by Jet Methods (on Functional Approach)*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87094*

*С, connected (accompany useful functions); I, independent.*

functions is ideal from the point of view of operation:

*<sup>P</sup>* <sup>¼</sup> <sup>X</sup> *l*

*<sup>P</sup>* <sup>¼</sup> <sup>X</sup> *l*

*i*¼1

*i*¼1

consumer properties

**Figure 1.**

these functions.

following form:

**171**

The solution to these problems can be found in the use of an innovative approach to development of hybrid working methods; its essence consists in provision of useful functions of the product on the basis of morphological analysis of variants of combination of power and energy flows generating a hybrid production process.

The purpose of the chapter consists in development of principles of functional approach to creation of hybrid processes as a morphological combination of various ways of power and energy flows that impact on the worked piece when functions and properties of the final product are formed by totality of results of some technological transitions realized on micro-, meso-, or macro-levels of the product.
