Polishing properties of tiny grinding wheel based on Fe3O4 electrorheological fluid

Experiments were conducted to reveal the polishing properties of the Fe3O4 electrorheological fluid, which was used to form a dynamical, instantaneous tiny grinding wheel to polish optical glass. The profile of the polished area of the glass surface indicates that the material removal process is dominated by the synergy of the applied pressure and the relative velocity between the abrasives and the workpiece to be polished. It is also found that the rate of material removal is proportional to the intensity of external electric field and decreases with the extension of the machining gap between the workpiece and the needle-like tool. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.