OPTIMIZATION OF MAGNETIC ABRASIVE FINISHING PROCESS OF SS304 STAINLESS STEEL

Abstract

With the advancement of the high-end industry, the demand for smooth surfaces has grown at an exorbitant rate. Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) is gaining wide attention these days as a popular finishing method to achieve smooth and high-quality surfaces. An alternative approach was used in the present work to produce a highly finished surface on stainless steel SS304 sheet using a magnetic abrasive finishing process. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the process parameters. Optimal results occur at a magnetic flux density (3100 Gauss), the rotational speed of the magnetic pole (250 rpm), grit size (250µm), and the percentage of abrasive particles (10%) for a percentage reduction in surface roughness (%∇Ra). Among the four factors, the grit size of the abrasives is the factor with the highest contribution (42.70%) and the rotation speed of the magnetic pole is the factor with the least contribution (0.79%) during the finishing process of the magnetic abrasive, which affects the percentage reduction in surface roughness (%∇Ra). To acquire a better understanding of the finishing mechanism, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and surface profiles of the surface before and after magnetic abrasive finishing were also examined.