Predicting the Material Removal Rate (MRR) in surface Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF) based on the synergistic effect of pressure and shear stress

Abstract Although the pressure and shear stress are motivations of the material removal of optical component surface in magnetorheological finishing, pressure is often ignored as the shear stress is the dominant factor in the removal rate prediction. To develop a more precise prediction removal function model, the role of pressure should be considered. Herein, a material removal rate (MRR) model involving the pressure and shear stress is proposed. Experiments were carried out to verify the validity of the MRR model under various process parameters, including the immersion depth, viscosity of magnetorheological fluid, and rotational speed of the polishing wheel. The pressure is shown to be indispensable in predicting the peak and volumetric removal rate. In addition, the MRR model including pressure allows for a better agreement of the removal function topography in comparison with the only shear stress-induced material removal model. This work fills in gaps relating to fundamental MRF mechanisms and provides a new perspective for the study of material removal behaviors of MRF on optics.