Experimental study on shear thickening polishing of cemented carbide insert with complex shape

Abstract

Shear thickening polishing (STP), an emerging polishing method, is used to polish the cemented carbide insert with complex shape in this study. The principle and performance of STP were introduced. Four parameters having significant influence on the STP process, including polishing speed, abrasive concentration, abrasive size, and inclination angle of fixture, were experimentally investigated. The influence of the four parameters on the surface quality of cemented carbide insert was analyzed by orthogonal experiment method, and the optimal processing parameter combination for the STP of cemented carbide insert was determined. Although the influence degree of the processing parameter on the left cutting edge PA, the top cutting edge PB, the root cutting edge PD, and the right cutting edge PK was different, the optimal processing parameter combination for each position was the same: polishing speed of 90 rpm, abrasive concentration of 9 wt%, abrasive size of #8000, and inclination angle of 4°. Under the optimal processing parameter combination, the surface roughness of cemented carbide insert at the left cutting edge PA was reduced from 121.8 to 7.1 nm after 15 min polishing. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the white light interferometer confirmed the effectiveness of the STP process in the polishing of cemented carbide insert. The experimental results show that STP was a promising and feasible processing method in the polishing of cemented carbide insert with complex shape.