Particle-based simulations of abrasive flow machining

Manufacturing techniques of complex geometries often rely on the precise finishing of surfaces in order to achieve their designated performance. Obtaining the necessary surface roughness and a sufficiently high material removal rate in finishing processes of hard-to-access surfaces remains a great challenge. An example process is abrasive flow machining (AFM), where abrasive suspensions are forced to flow along the work piece. In spite of the huge range of applications for this process, the difficulties to adjust the parameters correctly for each work piece geometry prevents its utilization in a greater variety of industrial applications. Here, we employ the particle based numerical scheme of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) in order to investigate the abrasive process of AFM at a microscopic level.