An integrated tool for five-axis electrorheological fluid-assisted polishing

A five-axis electrorheological fluid-assisted polishing equipment is presented for the finishing of curved surfaces in this paper. An integrated electrode tool is specially designed to make the abrasive particles in the electrorheological fluid concentrate around the tool end when the electric field is applied and it is suitable to polish not only the conductive material such as tungsten carbide but also the non-conductive material such as optical glass. The polishing experiments for curved surfaces of tungsten carbide and optical glass are conducted to confirm the validity and suitability of the developed five-axis equipment with the designed integrated electrode tool and to reveal the influence of the process parameters on the workpiece surface roughness in electrorheological fluid-assisted polishing. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.