Analysis and modeling of mechanical behavior in elastic abrasive jet polishing for producing mirror-like surface

Abstract

Molds are a crucial process equipment in the field of manufacturing, the quality of its surface has a substantial influence on the final product. To achieve the requisite surface quality of complex curved precision molds, an elastic abrasive jet polishing method was employed. Based on the energy conservation theorem, an analysis was conducted to determine the indentation depth of the elastic and hard abrasives on the workpiece surface during the abrasive jet polishing process. The indentation depth was used to determine the plastic deformation form of elastic abrasives and hard abrasives on the workpiece. The results of the calculations demonstrated the advantages of elastic abrasive jet polishing in comparison to hard abrasive jet polishing. A quadratic regression model was developed using response surface methodology to further analyze the effects of jet angle, jet distance, jet speed, and their interactions on surface roughness. Accordingly, the optimal process parameters were identified as a jet angle of 42°, a jet distance of 21 mm, and a jet speed of 0.32 m/s. The optimal condition resulted in a mirror-like finish, with surface roughness S_a reduced from 40.1 nm to 7.45 nm, representing an 81.5 % improvement. These findings provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for polishing complex curved precision molds.