Design and Development of Magnetorheological Fluid Machine for Flat Surface Finish

Abstract

Surface finishing of glass and ceramics flats is difficult to perform using already existing traditional processes because of the brittle nature of these materials. In order to make traditional processes be able to accommodate these materials, relatively expensive aiding devices and approaches are required. The newly developed magnetorheological (MR) fluid finishing offers a solution to this problem at a relatively low cost. Magnetorheological fluids have been used in mechanical engineering applications because of the rheological behavior they possess under a magnetic field which enables the manipulation and pressure of loose abrasives on the machined surfaces and perform cutting action. This paper describes the design and development of an MR fluid machine-tool for flat surface finishing. The design presented herewith includes the design of the mechanical aspects of the ball-end tool machine and its support structure for a three-axis motion system. The objective of this study is realized based on utilizing a magnetic field, magnetorheological fluid and CNC router design to perform flat surface finishing.