Investigation into magnetorheological abrasive honing (MRAH)

A scheme to finish external curved surfaces, by imparting rotation while the abrasive-mixed magnetorheological fluid (or abrasive-mixed MR fluid) is pushed up and down, is presented in this paper. Since the relative motions resemble those present in conventional honing, the proposed method is named as ‘Magnetorheological Abrasive Honing’ (MRAH). This paper outlines the design and development of magnetorheological abrasive honing setup. A DC electromagnet with cylindrical pole faces is used and measurement for magnetic flux density is done. Experiments are conducted with aluminum and austenitic stainless steel workpieces to understand the effect of magnetic field. Effect of initial roughness, workpiece rotation and process duration on finishing was investigated with ground austenitic stainless steel workpieces. It is observed that the improvement in finish is better for rougher surface and higher rotation speed of workpiece and a reduction in roughness is consistent with process duration.