Influence of Spray Angle in Vapor Blasting on Thickness Reduction, Surface Roughness, and Hardness of Aluminum Crankcase Material

Sunardi; Arya Bagas Saputra; Rinasa Agistya Anugrah

doi:10.55927/fjst.v5i5.61

Authors

Sunardi Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, 55183 Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta
Arya Bagas Saputra Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, 55183 Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta
Rinasa Agistya Anugrah Department of Automotive Engineering Technology, Vocational Program, 55183 Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/fjst.v5i5.61

Keywords:

Vapor Blasting, Spray Angle, Aluminum Crankcase, Surface Roughness, Thickness Reduction, Hardness

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of vapor blasting spray angle on the thickness, surface roughness, and hardness of aluminum crankcase material. Twelve specimens measuring 30 × 30 × 3 mm were prepared, consisting of untreated samples and samples treated at spray angles of 60°, 70°, and 80°. Vapor blasting was performed at 40 psi using a 5 mm nozzle, glass bead media of 90–150 μm, a spray distance of 5 cm, and a treatment time of 5 min. Increasing spray angle reduced thickness from 3.00 to 2.95, 2.93, and 2.92 mm and increased surface roughness from 0.122 to 0.639, 1.075, and 1.200 μm, respectively. Surface hardness changed only slightly from 65.7 to 66.41, 66.84, and 66.51 HV and was not significantly affected by spray angle. In contrast, cross-sectional hardness showed a statistically significant but practically small increase. These results demonstrate that spray angle is a key parameter in vapor blasting, primarily governing material removal and surface texturing while exerting only a limited effect on hardness under the present operating conditions

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