Development of magnetic field-assisted finishing (MFAF) for exotic materials using abrasive slurry circulation system effects of media properties on the finishing characteristics

This paper is a progress update to the process development of Rapid-MRF, which has been reported by the authors previously as a new MFAF technology for Ti-6Al-4V components. A new embodiment with an abrasive slurry reservoir to address the problem of media scattering is presented and the effects of media properties on the finishing characteristics are studied. Firstly, certain carbonyl iron-abrasive (CI-abrasive) size ratio is found to generate pits on the polished surface. The ratio is estimated by considering the size of interstitial sites in the CI structure. Secondly, a slurry pH of 11.5 is found to retard CI oxidation and surface roughness (Ra) reduction. Lastly, an increase in slurry viscosity caused a drop in material removal rate (MRR) that may be explained with lubrication theory.