An Investigation on Electrorheological Fluid-assisted Polishing Process for Tungsten Carbide

The surface roughness and material removal is investigated in electrorheological (ER) fluid-assisted polishing of tungsten carbide die. In this study, the microstructure of fibrous columns formed by particles perpendicular to the electrodes is observed by CCD when the electrical field is applied. The distribution of the electric field strength on the surface of workpiece was analyzed by ANSYS and theoretical equation. The force acting on ER particles and abrasive particles is calculated in an electric field. According to Preston’s equation, a model for material removal of the polished conductive workpiece is derived. Polishing experiments with Al2O3 and diamond particles for tungsten carbide is conducted. The influential regularities of the polishing time, rotational speed of micro-tool, voltage, concentrations of abrasive particles and gap of electrodes on the surface roughness and material removal are obtained. The profile of machined area is measured by WYKO and the experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions, which confirm the validity of the presented model.