Magnetic Abrasive Polishing of Stainless Steel SS304 with Diamond-Based Sintered Magnetic Abrasives

Abstract

The most critical phase of all the stages needed for quality sample preparation for microscopic study is perhaps surface polishing. Magnetic abrasive polishing is a nonconventional finishing operation that can finish different materials and produce nano-finished surfaces. This study emphasizes the fabrication of a magnetic abrasive polishing setup for metallurgical polishing of specimens. Utilizing this test arrangement, exploratory investigations have been conducted to analyze the impact of five significant interaction factors, specifically the gap between the magnetic pole and the workpiece ([Formula: see text]), the quantity of diamond-based sintered magnetic abrasives ([Formula: see text]), the rotational speed of the magnetic pole (RPM), the grit size of sintered magnetic abrasives ([Formula: see text]), and machining time ([Formula: see text]). The abrasives used in this study were diamond-based sintered magnetic abrasives. The percentage change in surface roughness (PCSR) of the stainless steel SS304 workpiece is the response variable. From the results of the ANOVA study, the most important factor affecting the PCSR of the stainless steel SS304 workpiece is the abrasive grit size (49.49%), and the least important factor is the machining time (4.89%). The differences in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and surface profiles of workpieces demonstrate that the developed setup can polish stainless steel SS304 plane workpieces.