Improving the quality of surface in the polishing process with the magnetic abrasive powder polishing using a high-frequency induction heating source on CNC table

In this research, polishing flat surfaces has been done by using a completely new and innovative method. In this method, rotary magnetic tool that carry magnetic abrasive powders, is placed in a very strong thermal induction field, and magnetic rotary tool frequently change its direction from clockwise (CW) to counterclockwise (CCW) and CCW to CW. The frequency of changing rotation direction is an important parameter of this innovation method. The intended pieces for polishing operations have been placed on a synchronic two-axis Cartesian CNC table, and the gap between rotary magnetic tool and the sheet surface can be controlled by a power transmission screw operating in the direction of the vertical axis. Several experiments have proved high performance of the new proposed method in the process of polishing.     

Research on unbounded abrasive polishing process with assisted ultrasonic vibration of workpiece

Ultrasonic-assisted machining was an effective method to improve the material removal quality especially to difficult-to-cut metal materials. The ultrasonic vibration was usually superimposed on the machining tool but seldom on the workpiece, although the ultrasonic vibration of workpiece could improve the processability of material more effectively. In this paper, a rectangle hexahedron ultrasonic sonotrode with optimized slots was developed as a platform to realize the assisted ultrasonic vibration of workpiece and the ultrasonic-assisted polishing process of austenitic stainless steel was also studied. The unbounded abrasive was selected as polishing medium, and the path compensation strategy of soft polishing tool was carried out for getting uniform polishing force. The orthogonal experiments were designed to study the optimization of ultrasonic polishing parameters and the relation between different types of ultrasonic polishing path and polishing quality. The results appear that the horizontal ultrasonic vibration of workpiece can reduce polishing force and improve polished surface roughness, which can also reinforce the proportion of plastic shear effect in the material removal process. The ultrasonic polishing path keeping consistent with workpiece vibration direction can get more uniform polishing force and better surface roughness. And the 45° oblique crossing ultrasonic path can get the maximum average polishing force reduction by 75.2 %.     

An investigation on use of colemanite powder as abrasive in abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJC)

In the present study, the cutting performance outputs (surface roughness, surface waviness and kerf taper angle) of colemanite powder as abrasive in abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJC) with varying traverse rate and abrasive flow rate were investigated experimentally. The performance outputs were compared to that of garnet which is in common use in industry as abrasive in AWJC industry. Al7075, marble, glass, Ti6Al4V and a composite material were selected as sample materials in the experiments. Furthermore, colemanite powder was mixed with garnet powder at certain proportions and the obtained surface characteristics were compared with those cut with pure garnet powder. It is found experimentally that in spite of higher amount of colemanite powder consumption with respect to garnet to perform the same cutting action, the colemanite powder could be an alternative powder for AWJC process.     

Improving the surface quality in wire electrical discharge machined specimens by removing the recast layer using magnetic abrasive finishing method

This study explores the feasibility of removing the recast layer formed on aluminum alloy cylindrical specimens machined by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) by using magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF). The WEDM is a thermal machining process capable of accurately machining parts with high hardness or complex shapes. The sparks produced during the WEDM process melt the metal’s surface. The molten material undergoes ultra-rapid quenching and forms a layer on the surface defined as recast layer. The recast layer may be full of craters and microcracks which reduce service life of materials tremendously, especially under fatigue loads in corrosive environments. This investigation demonstrates that MAF process, can improve the quality of WEDM machined surfaces effectively by removing the recast layer. The present work studies the effect of some parameters, i.e., linear speed, working gap, abrasive particle size, and finishing time on surface roughness and recast layer thickness using full factorial analysis. Three-level full factorial technique is used as design of experiments for studying the selected factors. In order to indicate the significant factors, the analysis of variance has been used. In addition, an equation based on regression analysis is presented to indicate the relationship between surface roughness and recast layer thickness of cylindrical specimens and finishing parameters. Experimental results show the influence of MAF process on recast layer removal and surface roughness improvement.     

Development of a new magnetic abrasive finishing process with renewable abrasive particles using the circulatory system

In order to improve the finishing efficiency of the Magnetic Abrasive Finishing process, we proposed a new MAF process with renewable abrasive particles using compound magnetic finishing fluid circulatory system in this paper. This new finishing process has a circulating system that uses a conveyor belt to renew the mixed abrasive particles. This not only maintains the stability of the finishing but also ensures that the processing does not need to be interrupted. In this study, we investigated the magnetic field distribution, finishing force, and finishing behavior of the processing area. Furthermore, we designed experimental device to finish the sus304 stainless steel plate, to verify the feasibility of this process and understand its characteristics through processing experiments. Moreover, the influence of important process parameters, including magnetic particles, abrasive particles, conveyor belt line speed and working gap, on the surface quality of the workpiece is studied through the experiment. The experimental results indicate that the present process can achieve stable processing of the material surface without interruption, and the surface roughness of the sus304 stainless steel plate has been improved from 273 nm to 23 nm through this process.     

Study on improving the trajectory to elevate the surface quality of plane magnetic abrasive finishing

This paper aims to improve the surface integrity and surface homogeneity with various trajectories by a newly self-designed experiment device. In the experiments, three kinds of polishing trajectories were studied with attached revolution motion to magnetic abrasive brush (MAB) based on conventional magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process. The surface roughness, the cross-sectional shape, and the 3D micro-morphology were chosen as the response variables to explore the feasibility and benefits of the proposed improving polishing method. The results show that the plane homogeneity and surface quality improved in varying degrees after improving the polishing trajectory. In addition, combining MAF theory to analyze related reasons, the trajectory expression of the magnetic abrasive particles (MAPs) was established and was simulated by Graph software. The theoretical analysis is consistent with the experimental results which indicated that analysis of polishing trajectory can be used to predict polishing results. Thus, it is feasible to plan polishing trajectory reasonable according to workpiece profile and surface quality requirements.     

Surface roughness modeling in chemically etched polishing of Si (100) using double disk magnetic abrasive finishing

Abstract

The present paper focuses on proposing a new method for determining the surface roughness of chemically etched polishing of Si (100) using double disk magnetic abrasive finishing (DDMAF). Based on chemical etching in KOH solution Vicker’s hardness of Si (100) at different concentration of KOH was determined in context to chemical etching phenomenon. A mathematical relationship was established to relate Vicker’s hardness of Si (100) as a function of the concentration of KOH. The penetration depth of abrasive particle into Si (100) workpiece was determined considering viz; the normal force acting on the abrasive particle under the influence of magnetic flux density and Vicker’s hardness of etched Si (100). The other modeling variables such as wear constant, penetration area of the abrasive particle into Si (100) workpiece which is dependent on the penetration depth of abrasive particle was modified in terms of magnetic flux density and concentration of KOH. The process parameters such as working gap, abrasive mesh number and the rotational speed of the primary magnet were also considered in modeling the surface roughness. The results of surface roughness obtained by the model were also experimentally validated. The theoretical and experimental findings agreed well with each other.     

Design and fabrication of a novel polishing tool for finishing freeform surfaces in magnetic field assisted finishing (MFAF) process

Surface finish is a critical requirement for different applications in industries and research areas. Freeform surfaces are widely used in medical, aerospace, and automobile sectors. Magnetic field assisted finishing process can be used very efficiently to finish freeform surfaces. In this process, magnetorheological fluid is used as the polishing medium and permanent magnet is used to control its rheological properties to generate finishing force during polishing. To avail sufficient magnetic field in the finishing zone, it is necessary to design an optimum polishing tool. In the present study, a specially designed polishing tool is designed using a finite element based software package (Ansys Maxwell^®) based on Maxwell equations. At first, dimension of the permanent magnet is determined for designing optimum tool geometry. After that, dimension and configuration of the magnet fixture are optimized. A special type of metal named mu-metal which is a nickel-iron based alloy is selected for magnet fixture due to its magnetic-field shielding property. Mu-metal directs the magnetic flux lines in such a way that in the finishing zone the magnetic flux can be concentrated on the workpiece surface required for finishing. Also, the Mu-metal magnet fixture shields the magnetic field from outside environment so that MR fluid as well as any surrounding magnetic materials do not stick to the polishing tool. Experiments are carried out to validate the Maxwell simulation results to compare the magnetic flux distribution on the workpiece surface which shows good agreement between them. Also, finishing of flat titanium workpieces are carried out and it is found that the novel polishing tool has the capability to finish the workpieces in the nanometer range.     

Effect of extrusion pressure and number of finishing cycles on surface roughness in magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) process

Magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) was developed as a new precision finishing process for complicated geometries using smart magnetorheological polishing fluid. This process introduces determinism and in-process controllability of rheological behaviour of abrasive laden medium used for finishing intricate shapes. Magnetorheological polishing (MRP) fluid is comprised of carbonyl iron powder and silicon carbide abrasives dispersed in a viscoplastic base of grease and mineral oil and exhibits change in rheological behaviour in presence of external magnetic field. This smart behaviour of MRP fluid is utilized to precisely control finishing forces. The process performance in terms of surface roughness reduction depends on process variables like hydraulic extrusion pressure, magnetic flux density in the finishing zone, number of finishing cycles, and composition of MRP fluid. In the present work, experiments were conducted on a hydraulically powered MRAFF experimental setup to study the effect of extrusion pressure and number of finishing cycles on the change in surface roughness of stainless steel grounded workpieces. A new observation of “illusive polishing” action with the initial increase in number of finishing cycles is reported. The actual finishing action is possible only after removal of initial loosely held material remaining after grinding.     

Prediction of surface quality considering the influence of the curvature radius for polishing of a free-form surface based on local shapes

When machining a free-form surface automatically and digitally, especially in the case of sophisticated surface shapes, it is very difficult to control the surface quality, and thus sophisticated surfaces are usually polished using manual labor. Over the past few years, there has been little attention to the calculation of material removal depth models and construction of theoretical roughness models considering the influence of the curvature radius. Bonnet polishing can be automatically adapted to polish complex free-form surfaces. This paper explores key problems related to forecasting surface quality with respect to bonnet polishing of free-form surfaces. First, for the convex and planar sub-regions, this paper deduces the relationship expressing the maximum pressure distribution and the curvature radius, and presents a computational expression for material removal depth, taking into consideration the influence of the curvature radius. An expression is also deduced for the dwell time relationship between the adjacent processing points according to the experimental results pertaining to the material removal depth. From this, a theoretical roughness model is constructed that relates the bonnet curvature radius and the workpiece curvature radius. The validity of the experiments is summarized in the conclusion. The research findings provide a basic theory for the prediction of surface quality that can be automatically adapted to a free-form surface shape in bonnet polishing.     

Investigation on the polishing of aspheric surfaces with a doughnut-shaped magnetic compound fluid (MCF) tool using an industrial robot

Aspheric elements have become essential optical surfaces for modifying optical systems due to their abilities to enhance the imaging quality. In this work, a novel method employing a doughnut-shaped magnetic compound fluid (MCF) polishing tool, and an industrial robot was proposed for polishing aspheric surfaces. Firstly, investigations on the MCF tool, including the formation process and geometry, were conducted to form an appropriate polishing tool. The distribution of abrasive particles was observed using SEM and EDX mapping. Thereafter, a conic workpiece constructed from 6061-aluminum alloy was selected as the workpiece, which was used to discover the effects of the parameters on the polishing ability of aspheric surfaces. Finally, a polishing experiment was conducted with an aspheric element under the optimized conditions. The obtained results are shown as follows. (1) A relatively regular MCF tool was obtained when the eccentricity (r), amount of MCF slurry supplied (V), revolution speed of the MCF carrier and magnet (n_c and n_m, respectively) were given at appropriate values. (2) Abrasive particles entrapped in or attached to the clusters were observed abundantly on the MCF tool sample. (3) The surface profile of the conic workpiece after 60 min of polishing indicated that material was removed evenly, and an annular polishing area was attained. Meanwhile, a higher material removal rate and better surface roughness were achieved with a smaller working gap (h) and larger volume of the MCF slurry supplied (V). (4) The roughness (Ra) of the aspheric surface decreased from 49.81 to 10.77 nm after 60 min of polishing. The shape retention obtained a Pearson correlation coefficient (Pcc) of 0.9981, which demonstrated that this novel method is appropriate for polishing aspheric elements.     

数控车削中切削参数对表面质量的影响分析

切削参数的选择主要依赖于工艺人员的水平,往往由工艺设计人员凭经验决定,有一定的盲目性。针对数控车削中铝合金的切削参数选择展开研究。首先,针对影响表面质量的几个参数,在CK6136数控车床上加工102铝棒实验工件,得出实验数据,并对实验数据进行分析;其次,对主要参数的交互影响进行研究,结合具体工况,总结出选择方法。     

A study on the magneto-assisted spiral polishing on the inner wall of the bore with magnetic hot melt adhesive particles (MHMA particles)

The spiral polishing mechanism employed a fast turning screw rod to drive the abrasive for workpiece surface polishing. In this study, the powerful ring magnet installed around the workpiece would attract the self-developed magnetic hot melt adhesive particles (MHMA particles) during the process of polishing, driving the SiC particles against the workpiece, the inner wall of the bore. At the same time, the flexibility of MHMA particles helped improve the surface quality of the bore by preventing the SiC particles from heavily scratching it. The effects of magnetic flux density, size and concentration of SiC particles, concentration of MHMA particles, viscosity of silicone oil, revolution speed of the spindle as well as machining time and machining gap on operation temperature, slurry viscosity, surface roughness, and material removal were discussed and the best parameter combination was identified based on the results of the experiment. The effects of each machining parameter on the finished surface topography of the workpiece were also examined. Both analysis of variance and F-test indicated that magnetic flux density and the concentration of MHMA particles were the two most important variables affecting the surface roughness. In other words, magnetic force helped improve spiral polishing. Furthermore, the results showed that adding new MHMA particles to the slurry greatly improved the surface quality, at a rate of 90 %, and reduced the workpiece surface roughness from 0.9 μm down to 0.094 μm.     

Research on the fabricating quality optimization of the overhanging surface in SLM process

Overhanging surface is inherent geometric restraint during selective laser melting (SLM), which is suitable for various complex parts fabrication. In order to improve the fabricating quality of overhanging surface, a series of experiments were designed to investigate the effects of inclined angle, scanning speed, laser power, accumulated residual stress, and scanning vector length on overhanging surface fabrication. Analysis found that overhanging surface would warp easier when the inclined angle and the scanning speed became smaller and the warping trend will be larger as the laser power became larger. The relationships of laser power, scanning speed, and the critical inclined angle were mutual restraint, that is, larger inclined angle will be designed when the laser power becomes larger and scanning speed gets smaller, or vice versa: the selection of the fabricating parameters will be determined by established inclined angle of the overhanging surface. More serious warp would happen as the processing layers increased as a result of residual stress accumulation, and it was found that longer scanning vector were more helpful to stress accumulation, leading to more serious warp than shorter vector. At last, two effective methods were adopted to optimize overhanging surface fabrication, including adjusting part orientation to improve the inclined angle at the key position, and controlling regional parameters to reduce energy input. Above two ways were adopted to manufacture complex parts with typical overhanging surface, the results proved that adjusting part orientation and controlling regional parameters were effective ways to improve the fabricating quality of overhanging surface. In this study, the basis for building overhanging surface by SLM was provided from the view of process and design, and the preliminary solutions were proposed to manufacture complex metal parts with lower risk.     

A study on the characteristic of parameters by the response surface method in final wafer polishing

As the level of Si-wafer surface directly affects device line-width capability, process latitude, yield, and throughput in fabrication of microchips, it needs to have ultra precision surface and flatness. Polishing is one of the important processing having influence on the surface roughness in manufacturing of Si-wafers. The surface roughness in final wafer polishing is mainly affected by the many process parameters. For decreasing the surface, the control of polishing parameters is very important. In this paper, the optimum condition selection of ultra precision wafer polishing and the effect of polishing parameters on the surface roughness were evaluated by using central composite designs such as the Box-Behnken method. Moreover, in accordance with variation of process variables, there is a temperature change on pad surface. And so, this paper also researches that this temperature variation affects surface roughness of Si-wafer.     

数控车削铝合金表面粗糙度的实验研究

在数控车床上车削铝合金工件是当前高速切削的一个热点,选择合理的切削用量和刀具参数,成了提高切削效率和保证切削质量的关键技术。通过实验研究,分析了影响车削锻铝2A16表面粗糙度的切削用量因素、刀具几何因素。研究结果表明:在稳定切削条件下,大吃刀深度对表面粗糙度影响不大,采用合理刀尖圆弧半径和较小的进给速度,是减小表面粗糙度值的主要原因。     

The drilling of Al2O3 using a pulsed DC supply with a rotary abrasive electrode by the electrochemical discharge process

The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has the potential to machine electrically non-conductive high-strength, high-temperature-resistant (HSHTR) ceramics, such as aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). However, the conventional tool configurations and machining parameters show that the volume of material removed decreases with increasing machining depth and, finally, restricts the machining after a certain depth. To overcome this problem and to increase the volume of material removed during drilling operations on Al₂O₃, two different types of tool configurations, i.e., a spring-fed cylindrical hollow brass tool as a stationary electrode and a spring-fed cylindrical abrasive tool as a rotary electrode, were considered. The volume of material removed by each electrode was assessed under the influence of three parameters, namely, pulsed DC supply voltage, duty factor, and electrolyte conductivity, each at five different levels. The results revealed that the machining ability of the abrasive rotary electrode was better than the hollow stationary electrode, as it would enhance the cutting ability due to the presence of abrasive grains during machining.