Rheological Properties and Their Correlation with Surface Finish Quality in MR Fluid-Based Finishing Process

Abstract

The magnetorheological (MR) fluid-based finishing process is a well-known deterministic process for nanofinishing of soft, as well as brittle, materials. The quality of the finished surface mainly depends on the constituents of magnetorheological fluid and applied magnetic field. Rheological properties (yield stress and viscosity) of MR fluid significantly affect the quality of the final finished surface. An experimental investigation was carried out to study yield stress and viscosity of MR fluid based on the Bingham Plastic model by varying concentration of MR fluid constituents and magnetic flux density. The rheological properties are correlated with final surface roughness and material removal rate of single crystal silicon by MR fluid based finishing process. Viscosity and yield stress increased with an increase in percentage content of magnetic particles and magnetic flux density. Higher values of yield stress and viscosity increased the material removal rate and surface finish. Yield stress and viscosity decrease with increasing abrasive particles concentration. It was also observed that an optimum level of yield stress and viscosity is necessary to get low surface roughness values.