Inline Measurement of Process Forces and Development of a Friction Model in Abrasive Flow Machining

Abrasive flow machining is widely used for finishing applications. For every workpiece material, chips are formed by the relative movement between abrasive grains and workpiece surface. Thus, the friction in between is an important parameter to describe these mechanisms. A method for inline measuring of process forces in abrasive flow machining is presented. A sealed, technical device for measuring tangential forces and a device for measuring the static pressure were successfully developed. The results show a strong dependence on processing parameters. The data is used for developing a friction model that takes processing parameters into account. Moreover, the friction model is utilized to implement the local slip of the abrasive media on the workpiece surface in flow simulations. Consequently, process designs of machining tasks will be improved and will contribute to an enhanced quality and process stability. By process simulations, time consuming experiments are reduced in order to reduce costs.