Experimental study on surface roughness and residual stress development in loose-abrasive polishing of hardened tool steel

Abstract

The repeatability and control of the achievable surface integrity in manual loose-abrasive diamond polishing of workpieces is very limited. In this study, first effects of polishing on the surface roughness and on induced near-surface residual stress of hardened tool steel X37CrMoV5-1 using an automatic metallographic grinder polisher have been investigated. The results show different effects of polishing parameters such as grain size, platen speed and forces applied to the workpiece on roughness and residual stress. XRD measurements of the residual stress depth profile showed a reduction in compressive stress which could be explained by the material removal mechanism and direction.