Optimization of Magnetic Abrasive Finishing Parameters with Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

Fine surface finish is in high demand in modern time, with the development of industry manufacturing technology, in a wide range of industrial applications. Now a days, in medical instruments and aerospace components, fine surface finish is highly desirable. The inner surfaces of workpieces used in critical applications are finished using magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process. The process principle and the finishing characteristics of MAF of cylindrical pipes using sintered magnetic abrasives are described in this research work. The surface roughness measurements and material removal rate (MRR) measurements resulting from finishing experiments are described in this research work. Response surface methodology (RSM) technique is used for optimization of process parameters for the analysis of surface roughness in terms of percent improvement in surface finish (PISF) and MRR. The obtained maximum PISF was 92 %, and minimum surface roughness was 0.04 μm. The surface was microscopically examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to further study the improvement in surface finish.