Superfinishing is an abrasive finishing process in which a smooth work surface is produced by simultaneously loading a bonded abrasive stone against a rotating workpiece surface and oscillating (reciprocating) the stone. The surface topography of a 600 grit aluminum oxide stone used for superfinishing is quantitatively described using scanning phase-shift interferometry. A bounded three-parameter lognormal distribution is found to provide a more accurate representation of cutting edge height distribution than a bounded normal distribution, especially in fitting the upper tail end of data. Moreover, the stone surface characteristics are nearly constant throughout stone life suggesting that superfinishing is a self-dressing process. This stone surface geometry is used to develop a contact mechanics model of the superfinishing process. The model estimates the number of cutting edges involved in material removal, the load distribution on these edges, and the resulting surface roughness of the superfinished surface. The effect of contact pressure on these estimated values has been studied. Only a very small percentage (less than 0.16 percent) of the cutting edges, which are comprised of the large cutting edges occurring in the tail end of distribution, are actively engaged in material removal. Further, the arithmetic average surface roughness, is found to be related to the average depth of penetration while the peak-to-valley surface roughness, or is related to the maximum depth of penetration. The prediction of surface roughness made with this model is found to agree reasonbly well with experimental results for superfinishing of hardened steel surfaces. [S0742-4787(00)00302-7]
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April 2000
Technical Papers
Contact Mechanics of Superfinishing
Shih-Hsiang Chang,
Shih-Hsiang Chang
Mechanical Engineering Department, Far East College, 49 Chung-Hwa Rd., Hsin-Shih Town, Tainan County, Taiwan, R.O.C.
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Thomas N. Farris,
Thomas N. Farris
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1282 Grissom Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1282
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Srinivasan Chandrasekar
Srinivasan Chandrasekar
School of Industrial Engineering, 1287 Grissom Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1287
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Shih-Hsiang Chang
Mechanical Engineering Department, Far East College, 49 Chung-Hwa Rd., Hsin-Shih Town, Tainan County, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Thomas N. Farris
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1282 Grissom Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1282
Srinivasan Chandrasekar
School of Industrial Engineering, 1287 Grissom Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1287
Contributed by the Tribology Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY. Manuscript received by the Tribology Division July 1, 1998; revised manuscript received July 1, 1999. Associate Technical Editor: J. Williams.
J. Tribol. Apr 2000, 122(2): 388-393 (6 pages)
Published Online: July 1, 1999
Article history
Received:
July 1, 1998
Revised:
July 1, 1999
Citation
Chang, S., Farris, T. N., and Chandrasekar, S. (July 1, 1999). "Contact Mechanics of Superfinishing ." ASME. J. Tribol. April 2000; 122(2): 388–393. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.555374
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