Magnetorheological finishing of variable diametric external surface of the tapered cylindrical workpieces for functionality improvement

Abstract

Abstract Fine finishing of the variable diametric external surface of the tapered cylindrical components is the utmost need of the advanced manufacturing industries. The tapered colored glass-making industries require the highly finished taper cylindrical punches and cavities. To achieve this requirement, the magnetorheological (MR) finishing process is utilized through its advancement for enhancing the surface characteristics of the tapered cylindrical punch workpieces. In the present work, to realize the MR finishing mechanism on the tapered cylindrical punch workpiece, the final average surface roughness was analyzed theoretically. In addition, the variation in linear velocity, helix angle, and the helical path made by the active abrasive on the tapered cylindrical surface was also analyzed for the time required to perform uniform precise finishing on the variable surface of the tapered cylindrical workpiece. After the magnetorheological finishing, the significant improvement in the surface characteristics of the tapered cylindrical workpiece was accomplished. Also, the surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rq, and Rz) values got reduced by 97.28 %, 95.82 %, and 95.42 % with the optimized parametric conditions. The corresponding surface waviness value also got reduced from the initial value of 0.8410 μm to the final value of 0.2057 μm. The significant improvement in the surface characteristics of the tapered cylindrical workpiece after the MR finishing can be found beneficial for improving its functional life. This further helps in achieving the accurate dimensions with defect-free end products as produced by using the MR finished tapered cylindrical punches in the manufacturing industries.