Magnetorheological properties and polishing characteristics of silica-coated carbonyl iron magnetorheological fluid

While magnetorheological fluids can be used for ultra-precise polishing, for example, of advanced optical components, oxidation of metallic particles in water-based magnetorheological fluids causes irregular polishing behavior. In this study, carbonyl iron microspheres were initially coated with silica to prevent oxidation and were used to polish BK7 glass. In addition, their rheological and sedimentation characterizations were investigated. Material removal and surface roughness were analyzed to investigate the surface quality and optimal experimental conditions of polishing wheel speed and magnetic field intensity. The maximum material removal was 0.95 µm at 95.52 kA/m magnetic field intensity and 1854 mm/s wheel speed. A very fine surface roughness of 0.87 nm was achieved using the silica-coated magnetorheological fluid at 47.76 kA/m magnetic field intensity and 1854 mm/s wheel speed.