Parametric Studies on Finishing of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy with Al2O3 Magnetic Abrasives Prepared by Combining Plasma Molten Metal Powder with Sprayed Abrasive Powder

Micromachines (Basel). 2022 Aug 23;13(9):1369. doi: 10.3390/mi13091369.

Abstract

High-performance iron-based Al2O3 magnetic abrasive powder (MAP) prepared by combining plasma molten metal powder with sprayed abrasive powder is used for magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) of AZ31B magnesium alloy to remove surface defects such as creases, cracks, scratches, and pits generated during the manufacturing process of the workpiece, and to reduce surface roughness and improve its wear and corrosion resistance. In order to solve the problem of magnetic abrasive powder splash in the MAF process, the force analysis of the MAP in the processing area is conducted, and a composite magnetic pole processing device was designed and simulated to compare the effects of both devices on MAF, confirming the feasibility of composite magnetic pole grinding. Then, experiments have been designed using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to investigate the effect of four factors-magnetic pole rotation speed, grinding gap, magnetic pole feed rate, magnetic abrasive filling quantity-on surface roughness and the interactions between them. The minimum surface roughness value that can be obtained is used as the index for parameter optimization, and the optimized parameters are used for experiments, and the results show that the established surface roughness model has good predictive ability.

Keywords: AZ31B magnesium alloy; Al2O3 magnetic abrasive; RSM; magnetic abrasive finishing.