Title: Estimation of magnetic and rheological properties of MR polishing fluid and their effects on magnetic field assisted finishing process

Authors: Manas Das; V.K. Jain; P.S. Ghoshdastidar

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam-781039, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, UP-208016, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, UP-208016, India

Abstract: The finishing efficiency in magnetic field assisted finishing (MFAF) process mainly depends on the rheological properties of magnetorheological (MR) polishing medium. A detailed rheological study of MR polishing fluid at different volume concentration of fluid constituents and magnetic field is conducted to predict their contribution on yield stress and viscosity. Magnetic field has the highest contribution followed by carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) concentration to the yield stress and viscosity. It is observed that Herschel-Bulkley model better fits the rheological data than other two models. Also, it has been found that when total solid contents of MR polishing fluid exceeds more than 35%, there is a decrease in the yield stress. From magnetic characterisation, it is observed that saturation magnetisation increases with CIP concentration and decreases with abrasive concentration. The surface finish of stainless steel workpiece improves with an increase in the yield stress and viscosity at higher magnetic field and CIP concentration.

Keywords: MFAF; magnetic field assisted finishing; MRP fluids; rheology; magnetorheological finishing; magnetic properties; polishing fluids; yield stress; viscosity; surface finish; stainless steel; carbonyl iron particles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPTECH.2014.067740

International Journal of Precision Technology, 2014 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.247 - 267

Received: 03 Jul 2014
Accepted: 19 Nov 2014
Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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