初步研究表明，磨料水射流产生的工件法向力可以作为表面质量的指标。本研究的目的是开发一种方法，在磨料水射流切割参数的大范围内，通过工件法向力的水平来表征和控制表面质量。一般认为，工件法向力越大，表面质量越粗糙。

THROUGH THE AUTHORS' PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION, IT WAS SHOWN THAT THE WORKPIECE NORMAL FORCE GENERATED BY AN ABRASIVE WATERJET COULD BE USED AS AN INDICATOR OF THE SURFACE QUALITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DEVELOP THE METHODOLOGY THAT COULD CHARACTERIZE AND CONTROL THE SURFACE QUALITY BY THE LEVEL OF THE WORKPIECE NORMAL FORCE IN THE BROAD RANGE OF THE ABRASIVE WATERJET CUTTING PARAMETERS. IT WAS GENERALLY OBSERVED THAT A HIGHER WORKPIECE NORMAL FORCE TENDS TO YIELD A ROUGHER SURFACE QUALITY.