Performance of flexible CeO2 composite abrasive in force rheological polishing of fused silica glass

Polishing is critical for obtaining high-quality surfaces on fused silica glass components, which are used extensively in numerous civil and military applications. The abrasive used in conventional polishing processes is typically on the microscale or nanoscale. This study prepared a millimeter-scale flexible composite abrasive consisting of a natural rubber (NR) core coated with CeO2 for use in force rheological polishing (FRP), aiming to improve efficiency and material removal selectivity without compromising surface quality. An analysis of the synthesized abrasive indicated that the CeO2 exhibited excellent adhesion to the surface of the rubber core. The results of polishing experiments conducted on fused silica glass workpieces using the proposed composite abrasive indicated that following 20 min of FRP, the surface roughness (Sa) of the workpiece was reduced from 464.2 nm to 2.2 nm and a high material removal rate (MRR) of 337.2 nm/min was achieved with negligible damage to the surface. The utilization of the composite abrasive for FRP effectively promoted the chemical reaction between CeO2 and silica glass to achieve rapid material removal. Furthermore, the material removal selectivity characteristics of the composite abrasive were investigated by polishing micro-grooved surfaces. The resulting groove contours and morphologies revealed that the composite abrasive played a crucial role in selectively removing material from the edges and bottoms of the micro-grooves such that elevated points experienced more extensive material removal, realizing a flatter surface. However, the effectiveness of selective removal diminished as the micro-groove width increased. The results of this study furnish compelling theoretical and experimental evidence supporting the utilization of millimeter-scale flexible composite abrasives in FRP.