Investigation of Material Removal and Surface Topography Formation in Vibratory Finishing

In this work investigations on vibratory finishing and an approach towards a process model combining the Discrete Element Method (DEM) with experimental results will be presented. Based on experimental data from vibratory finishing and drag finishing experiments, material removal is considered on a surface roughness level, leading to a new model for surface roughness prediction. The influence of several abrasive particles and process parameters on the surface topography formation was investigated using steel rods with different topographies. Core findings include differing material removal mechanisms depending on initial surface roughness and a first description of the influence of particle shape on surface topography formation. To develop a comprehensive process model for vibratory finishing, DEM is used to model the motion of the bulk of abrasive particles and its contacts with the workpiece. Given the results from the simulation such as number, intensity and location of contacts for a set of boundary conditions, such as workpiece speed and bowl excitation, experimental findings can be linked to these computable results.