A hydrodynamic suspension polishing method for ultrasmooth and low-damage surface

A novel polishing process was proposed based on the hydrodynamic phenomenon. The structure of the polishing disk was designed to form the optimal distribution of the hydrodynamic stress. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was conducted to assist the structure design and discuss the relative mechanism. The influence of the rotating speed and suspension distance of the polishing disk on the hydrodynamic stress field were also investigated by CFD method, respectively. The microscale material removal mechanism was discussed. And then a novel polishing device was fabricated. The quality of the polishing samples were discussed. Results showed that the novel polishing disk with the wedge region, constraint boundary and flow storage tank can realize the stable hydrodynamic stress field in the workpiece region. The higher rotating speed and the shorter suspension distance both raised the magnitudes of the hydrodynamic stress. The kinetic energy of the polishing abrasive can destroy the bonding energy of the atom under the sufficient rotating speed. The stripping or moving of the raising atoms on the workpiece surface was the reason for the ultrasmooth surface. The experimental results showed that the ultrasmooth surface can be obtained by the present novel polishing process. And there were almost no machining deformation layer and micro damages.