Experimental study on reciprocating magnetorheological polishing

Purpose This paper aims to study the effects of the different processing parameters in the reciprocating magnetorheological polishing (RMRP) on the surface roughness (Ra) and material removal rate (MRR) of the workpiece surface. Design/methodology/approach The principle of RMRP method is discussed, and a series of the single factor experiments are performed to evaluate the effects of the workpiece’s rotational speed, the reciprocating frequency, the magnetic field strength, the working gap and the processing time on machining results using the RMRP device. Findings The RMRP method is effective and practical for K9 glass polishing, and the optimized processing parameters are obtained by the single factor experiments of RMRP. The surface roughness of the workpiece is reduced from 332 nm to 28 nm under optimized processing parameters. Originality/value In the present study, the RMRP method is proposed, and a system of experiments is carried out using the RMRP device. The RMRP device can improve the surface roughness and MRR of the K9 glass significantly. Furthermore, the test results provide references for reasonable selection of the processing parameters in magnetorheological polishing process.