Rheological characterisation and performance evaluation of a new medium developed for abrasive flow finishing

Abstract

Abrasive action in abrasive flow finishing (AFF) mainly depends on medium formulation and machine settings. Medium composition decides the viscosity and it has significant effect on the process performance. In the present work, a new AFF medium is developed, and experiments are carried out to evaluate its rheological flow properties. Later, AFF experiments are carried-out to finish Al alloy and Al alloy/SiC metal matrix composites with a wide range of input parameters to find-out an appropriate input parameters range to get the best surface finish. Then complete experimental study is planned using central composite rotatable design. The finishing results are correlated with rheological properties of the medium. A change in surface roughness is found to be more in Al alloy/SiCp (10%) as compared to Al alloy and Al alloy/SiCp (15%). Justification for the same has been discussed in the paper.