Numerical and experimental study of influence function in magnetorheological finishing (MRF) of freeform surface

Abstract

In the present work, a dynamic viscosity model is proposed based on the varying magnetic flux density of the neodymium permanent magnet along its width. The proposed viscosity model is helpful in analysing the influence function in a better way as compared to standard non-Newtonian fluid models. During the finishing process, the research of influence function aids in establishing the right range of process parameters. MR fluid flow on the freeform surface is examined numerically and experimentally to better understand the influence function. The flow behaviour of the MR fluid is investigated using the three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, wall shear stress and dynamic pressure are estimated on the Oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper for various process parameters (working gap and rotational speed). On the convex and concave sections of a freeform surface, indentation depth is estimated for various process parameters using the results of dynamic pressure and empirical relation. Finishing tests are performed to investigate forces (tangential and normal) and indentation depth on the workpiece, and the results are evaluated.