High speed finishing of a CuZn15 brass alloy by Abrasive Recirculating Fluidized Bed (ARFB)

The present investigation deals with the high-speed finishing of a brass alloy by Abrasive Recirculating Fluidized Bed (ARFB). The influence on the machining effectiveness of several process parameters, namely, abrasive type and size, processing time, impact speed was first experimented. The evolution of the surface morphology during the finishing process and the mechanisms involved were then looked into. Finally, the uniformity and the dimensional accuracy of the machined surface were accounted for. The experimental findings show the ARFB prone to reduce the surface roughness of the workpieces, thus modifying their texture and bringing them to a high quality standard. In addition, the dimensional accuracy of the process warrants the applicability of the technology even when the respect of the closest geometrical tolerances is required. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.