In magnetorheological finishing (MRF) the mechanical energy for material removal is generated by the hydrodynamic flow of a magnetorheological (MR) polishing suspension through a converging gap that is formed by a workpiece surface and a moving rigid wall. In addition to causing material removal, MRF also reduces the surface micro roughness of optical materials to ≤ 10 Å rms. Shape errors are corrected to a fraction of a wavelength of light and subsurface damage is removed. A theoretical analysis of MRF, based on Bingham lubrication theory, illustrates that the formation of a core attached to the moving wall results in dramatically high stress on the workpiece surface. A correlation between the shear stress on the workpiece surface and materials removal is obtained.

Date Published: 16 June 1998
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 3326, Smart Structures and Materials 1998: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies, (16 June 1998); doi: 10.1117/12.310670

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3326:
Smart Structures and Materials 1998: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies
Janet M. Sater, Editor(s)