Characterization of Deburring by Abrasive Flow Machining for AL6061

Burrs form due to the plastic deformation of materials during machining processes, such as milling and drilling. Deburring can be very difficult when the burrs are not easily accessible for removal. In this study, abrasive flow machining (AFM) was adopted for deburring the edges of milling specimens. Based on the experimental observations on AL6061 specimens, the deburring performance was characterized in terms of flow speed, the local curvature of the streamline near the burr edge, and shear stress. A new objective function that can predict the extent of deburring is proposed based on these characteristics and validated through milling burr edge erosion tests by abrasive flow. Based on the assumption that the flow component is tangential to the burr edge has relatively little contribution to the edge erosion, an attempt was made for the application of the new objective function to the three-dimensional burr edge formed by two intersecting holes drilled with offset. The deburring test results and predictions from three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics’ (CFD) simulations were in reasonable agreement.