Abstract
Abrasive flow machining (AFM) technology is attracting more and more attention and keeps expanding into more areas by the industry and research community particularly in the context of increasing demands for post-processing of the complex aerofoil structures and additively manufactured components. It is fundamentally vital to develop an industrial feasible approach to controlling and improving the surface roughness of the structure and component, and even the profile accuracy and surface texture. In this paper, a multiscale multiphysics approach combining with micro-cutting mechanics is presented for modelling and analysis of the surface roughness and topography profile generation in the AFM process. The analysis is developed and implemented by using MATLAB programming integrated with the COMSOL multiphysics computational environment. Micro-cutting mechanics modelling and the Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms are integrated to develop simulations on the AFM generation of surface texture and topography through abrasive micro-machining with thousands of grains under complex multiscale and multiphysics working conditions. Well-designed AFM experiment trials on machining aerofoil structures are carried out to further evaluate and validate the modelling and analysis. The work presented is fundamental but essential as a part of the project for developing the simulation-based AFM virtual machining system.
Highlights
Abrasive flow machining (AFM) was first brought into the manufacturing industry in the 1960s
The micro-cutting mechanics model is built on the mechanics for one grain and with the help of the Monte Carlo algorithm, the simulation can be accumulated to mass of grains in the flow
If the depth is less than the third equation, the grains will slide across the surface and no plastic deformation will occur. With this rule applied to each grain in AFM process, it is possible to simulate the manufacturing across microscale which contributes to surface roughness and the generation of surface texture
Summary
Abrasive flow machining (AFM) was first brought into the manufacturing industry in the 1960s. AFM is a process where material removal (MR) and surface roughness (SR) improvement are attained by extruding a viscoelastic fluid carrying abrasive grits through a workpiece. It is normally used when interior features need to be polished, rounded or de-burred and are unreachable by conventional processes. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based modelling and simulation of the AFM process can be useful, which can predict the material removal along the blade profile. The modelling and simulation of the AFM processes as developed have some limitations, and many challenges need to be addressed on the prediction and control of the surface generation and topographical profile of the component. The research presented is an essential part of efforts to develop a simulation-based virtual AFM system
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