Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The abrasive flow finishing processes are advanced finishing techniques widely used as finishing solutions in high-end industries like aerospace, automobile, tool and die, and prosthetic. Abrasive flow finishing processes are mainly used for polishing, deburring, removal of cast layers, radiusing and finishing intricate shapes by flowing abrasive laden viscoelastic carrier over the surfaces to be finished. Although abrasive flow finishing have a wide range of applications and could be used in every shop floor as a finishing solution, their usage is limited owing to high initial and running costs associated with them. This article attempts to present a novel classification of abrasive flow finishing processes based upon the use of different energy and tooling, and highlights the critical research outcomes in each category. The physical abrasive flow finishing modeling, developments in abrasive flow finishing processes, and their hybridization with the other manufacturing processes are discussed. Finally, the future research challenges including the development of low-cost alternative media, development of tooling and fixture, and environmental issues in the area of abrasive flow finishing are highlighted.

Keywords

Abrasive flow finishing abrasive flow media modeling classification review

Introduction

The finishing processes involve the improvement of finishing levels of surfaces and are broadly classified as traditional surface-finishing processes, like lapping, honing, polishing, and grinding, and advanced finishing processes, like abrasive flow finishing (AFF), magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF), magnetic float polishing (MFP), and magnetorheological finishing (MRF). Traditional finishing processes are appropriate only for certain type of workpieces such as flat or cylindrical and have a low degree of control on the achieved surface finish. There are some critical issues associated with traditional finishing processes, for example, in grinding, the generation of large amount of heat results into defects such as micro-cracks and thermal residual stresses. The traditional finishing processes cannot finish complex and miniaturized workpieces such as three-dimensional (3D) components, cooling holes in automobile components, and turbine blades having diameters less than 2 mm. Hand polishing or deburring produces inconsistent results and often impossible to perform on complicated or internal surfaces.¹

To overcome difficulties like finishing of intricate shapes and to achieve high surface quality for finished surfaces, AFF has been proposed by Extrude Hone Co. in the 1960s. AFF is one of the newest nonconventional finishing processes, and it utilizes a deformable viscoelastic abrasive laden (AFF media) to extrude over the surfaces to be finished. The major components of the AFF are the machine part, tooling, fixture, types of abrasives, abrasive flow machining (AFM) media composition, and process settings.² AFF process is used for deburring, polishing, and radiusing in difficult-to-machine materials and the workpieces having difficult-to-reach profiles. It has been reported in several research studies that using AFF processes a high surface finish quality can be obtained over a wide range of geometrically different components like fuel injector nozzles and bolt head dies, rapid tooling (RT), turbine blades, and knee joints. High-end industries such as aerospace,³ medical tools and implants,⁴ electronics, automobiles, and high-precision molds and dies manufacturing are widely using AFF process to achieve high degree of surface finish for their components. For example, AFF is used to finish automotive engine components like nozzle, gears, camshafts, and crankshafts, and superiorly finished components enhance the air and fluid flow resulting in lesser emissions, high-cycle fatigue strength, and increased performance of the engine.

The different configurations of AFF setup have been classified into (1) one-way AFF, (2) two-way AFF, and (3) orbital AFF⁵ (see Figure 1). In one-way AFF process (Figure 1(a)), a hydraulically operated reciprocating piston cylinder and an AFM media cylinder are arranged in such a way that the AFF media flow unidirectionally over the internal surfaces of the workpiece. In two-way AFF setup, two vertically arranged media chambers extrude the AFF media backwards and forwards over the workpiece surfaces (see, Figure 1(b)). While in orbital AFF, the workpiece precisely oscillates in two or three proportions inside a slow flowing pad of elastic or plastic AFF media (Figure 1(c)). Besides these conventional types of AFF configurations, the literature also reports various hybridized AFF processes, such as MAF, MFP, MRF, drill bit–guided abrasive flow finishing (DBG-AFF), centrifugal force–assisted abrasive flow machining (CFAAFM), and elastic emission machining (EEM), for enhanced process performance.

Figure 1.

Different configurations of abrasive flow finishing process: (a) schematic of one-way AFF, (b) working principle of two-way AFF, and (c) orbital abrasive flow finishing.

In this review article, an attempt has been made to present a novel classification of AFF processes into relevant categories based on the use of different energy and tooling. A critical review on previous research studies to comprehend the state of the art in AFF has been reported. Furthermore, the developments in the area of AFF are classified into four categories for the comprehensive understanding of various studies. This article also attempts to present a novel classification of AFF media, which is not available in any previous review papers.^6,7 Then, the integration of AFF with other machining methods, physical mathematical modeling in AFF, and experimentation using the different types of finishing media on different workpiece geometries also have been discussed. At last, the future research opportunities in the area of AFF are discussed.

Developments in AFF process

The research work reported in the development of AFF process by various researchers is reported in this section.

Preliminary developments in AFF process

To enhance the productivity (enhanced material removal rate (MRR) and improvement in surface roughness), variants of AFF have been developed by researchers. Initially, Rhoades et al.⁸ designed and developed a one-way abrasive flow machine (AFM) apparatus using a hydraulically operated reciprocating piston and an extrusion medium cylinder (see, Figure 1(a)). Perry⁹ established an improved method and tooling which permits small holes, multiple holes to be finished after drilling process. Rhoades et al.¹⁰ developed two-way AFM having two sets of hydraulic piston cylinders and media chambers. The AFM media is extruded, hydraulically or mechanically, from the top media cylinder to the bottom media cylinder and in reverse direction over the component surface profile to be finished (Figure 1(b)). As shown in Figure 1(c), Rhoades¹¹ developed an orbital AFM for surface and edge radiusing, providing low-amplitude and vibration to workpiece, and finishing is performed by a self-forming elastic–plastic abrasive polishing device. Rhoades¹² provided a new controlled and automatic process for honing, polishing, and radiusing the workpiece surface or edge by providing a displacer chamber in between the workpiece and viscoelastic abrading medium. Williams¹³ proposed a method and apparatus to use acoustic emission (AE) signals to monitor and control AFM media flow rate which helps in improving the MRR. Walch et al.¹⁴ established an abrasive flow machine setup for finishing the orifice of the workpiece using abrasive media of different viscosity by modifying the diameters of pistons and cylinders in positive displacements pumps within apparatus.

Recent advances in AFF processes

Many researchers are working to overcome the limitations of AFF such as low surface-finishing rate and inability to correct the custom geometry, and at the same time to improve the surface quality and surface reliability. The recent developments in AFF have been classified as shown in Figure 2 based on different forces and energies. The AFF processes are classified on the basis of type of energy assistance used, magnetic based, ultrasonic energy based, electrochemical energy based, and on the type of tooling into centre tooling. The developments and outcomes of various AFF processes are discussed in next sections.

Figure 2.

Recent development in abrasive flow finishing process.

Magnetic force–assisted AFF

For improvement in MRR, Singh and Shan¹⁵ established a novel process called magnetic abrasive flow machining (MAFM) process by integrating magnetic energy assistance in AFM process. Average surface roughness (Ra) value near to 30 nm has been achieved by MAFM process for finishing stainless steel (SS) and silicon nitride material workpieces.¹⁶ Jha and Jain¹⁷ developed a new finishing technique for complicated internal surfaces using magnetorheological polishing (MRP) media. They reported that magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) gives better finishing results as compared to that of the rheological behavior of abrasive-suspended MRF fluid. Magnetorheological fluid consists of carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) and silicon carbide abrasives suspended in a mixture of grease and mineral oil which is having viscoplastic behavior and undergoes change in its rheological properties with an external applied magnetic field. Jha and Jain¹⁸ developed a model of MRAFF for calculation of forces exerted by abrasive grits and correlated them with improvement in surface roughness value. They reported that degree of finishing force is mainly influenced by the radial and tangential forces applied on abrasive grits due to CIPs organized in a columnar configuration in the presence of peripheral magnetic energy. In MRAFF process, Jha et al.¹⁹ performed experiments to study the effect of number of machining cycles and extrusion pressure on the improvement of surface roughness value of finished workpieces. Singh et al.²⁰ conducted experiments to understand the mechanism of material removal (MR) and the wear behavior of different materials when processed by AFM and magnetically assisted AFM.

Centre tooling–assisted AFF

CFAAFM process was presented by Walia et al.²¹ in which a revolving centrifugal force–generating (CFG) rod was placed inside the component flow path with abrasive media. They achieved reduction from 70% to 80% in finishing time using the triangular-shaped CFG rod inside the workpiece finishing passage.

For improvement of surface-finishing (ΔRa) and MRR, Ravi Sankar et al.²² developed a rotational abrasive flow finishing (R-AFF) setup in which the rotatory motion to the workpiece is given so that more active abrasive particles comes in contact to the workpiece finishing area. Ravi Sankar et al.²³ conducted experiments for finishing aluminum (Al) alloy and Al/SiC metal matrix composite (MMC) material at various extrusion pressures and utilized the different media compositions to find the optimum conditions for higher change in roughness (ΔRa). They concluded that R-AFF can finish 44% better in improvement in surface roughness (ΔRa) and 81.8% more MR related to the AFF technique.

Ultrasonic force–assisted AFF

Ultrasonic flow polishing (UFP)²⁴ process was developed by combining the AFM process and ultrasonic machining (USM) process to achieve a superior finishing surface. A novel hybrid finishing process called ultrasonic-assisted magnetic abrasive finishing (UAMAF) was developed by Mulik and Pandey.²⁵ They integrated the ultrasonic vibrations and MAF process and claimed finishing ability of nano level surface roughness value. In another work, Mulik and Pandey²⁶ highlighted the mechanism of surface-finishing in UAMAF. They studied the microscopic effects on surface quality resulting from the interaction of abrasives with workpiece surface. In UAMAF process, two types of forces, namely, normal force and finishing torque, act during finishing action. In UAMAF process, the supply voltage given to electromagnet and finishing gap has been found to be the important factors affecting the finishing quality of the surface.²⁷

Venkatesh et al.²⁸ used ultrasonic-assisted abrasive flow machining (UAAFM) process for finishing the EN8 steel bevel gears. In UAAFM, the ultrasonic vibration causes the abrasives to interrelate with the finishing surface to an angular shift “θ.” Kala and Pandey²⁹ studied the finishing performance of ultrasonic-assisted double-disk MAF process for two different paramagnetic materials (copper alloy and SS) with different mechanical properties such as flow stress, hardness, and shear modulus.

Electrochemical-based AFF

Dabrowski et al.³⁰ developed an electrochemical-assisted abrasive flow machine (ECAFM) in which they used a mixture of water gels (sodium iodide salt and polyethylene glycol with potassium cyanide) and polymeric electrolytes such as gelated polymers (polypropylene glycol) as a base material. During finishing process, polymeric electrolyte abrasive media was forced through the slight inter-electrode opening that resulted in superior flow confliction of the polymer electrolyte media. Brar et al.³¹ also developed a hybrid form of electrochemical machining (ECM) and AFM process for the fine finishing of internal holes or prismatic respites. Using fabricated electrochemical-aided abrasive flow machining (ECA²FM) setup, they achieved higher MR due to the synergetic action of ECM and AFM processes. In another work, Brar et al.³² performed experiments for finishing of hollow cylindrical brass components using ECA²FM process. They claimed a higher MR in the ECA²FM process over AFM process.

Recent work in design and fabrication of AFF setup

Mali and Manna³³ designed and fabricated a two-way AFM setup for finishing internal passage of MMC (Al/SiCp-MMC) material components. Sushil et al.³⁴ also used abrasive flow machine for micro finishing of Al-based MMC workpieces. Li et al.³⁵ designed a finishing setup to accomplish accurate machining of peculiar parts. They simulated the AFM for its speed and pressure distribution using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) Fluent^® software. Bähre et al.³⁶ integrated the axial force sensor in Extrude Hone^® Vector series AFM machine to find out the effect of the abrasive media pressure and lead time on the surface improvement and form tolerances of the finished workpiece.

For improvement in the surface quality, rotational magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (R-MRAFF) technique³⁷ has been developed by applying magnetic energy in the rotary motion over MRP abrasive media and additionally reciprocating movement with a hydraulic power pack. For improvement in out-of-roundness (OOR), Das et al.³⁸ conducted experiments for finishing SS material hollow tubes using R-MRAFF technique. They observed 2.04 µm as maximum improvement in OOR after finishing of SS tubes.

Singh et al.³⁹ developed a ball end magnetorheological finishing (BEMRF) technique using the primary rotating core and static electromagnet coil incorporated with a copper chilling coil for nanofinishing of ferromagnetic 3D and flat workpiece surfaces. For finishing the non-magnetic SS cylindrical-shaped workpiece, Judal and Yadava⁴⁰ designed and developed a cylindrical electrochemical magnetic abrasive machining (C-EMAM) device using unrestrained magnetic abrasive grains. From experimental study, they observed a greater machining effectiveness mostly at high values of electrolytic current and rotating speed. Riveros et al.⁴¹ studied the surface-finishing features of the MAF process by observing the changes in geometry and quality of nanoscale surface feature. Under similar machining condition, Ghadikolaei and Vahdati⁴² observed higher surface qualities in copper material workpieces, than those of aluminum material workpieces. They claimed that in presence of higher magnetic field strength, copper material workpiece shows better surface quality. Singh et al.⁴³ developed MR finishing process for finishing the surfaces with desired accuracy as similar to the turning mechanism for external cylindrical surfaces having grooves, tapers, steps, and threads. Grover and Singh⁴⁴ developed a novel magnetorheological honing tool to accomplish the requirement of nanofinishing the internal surfaces of cylindrical ferromagnetic or non-ferromagnetic components of different internal diameters strips.

Developments in AFF media

The media in AFM process acts as a flexible grinding polishing tool during the finishing process. AFM media generally consists of two main constituents—the carrier (a viscoelastic base material, for example, polymer gels and oils) and the solid part (abrasives and elements to support the abrasive). As efforts were made for improving the performance of AFF, studies were also done to synthesize better AFM media. The physical (appearance), chemical (ingredients and their quantity in the base carrier, inertness, etc.), and rheological properties (apparent viscosity, shear stress, yield stress, thixotropic, critical strain, critical temperature, etc.) considerably influence the overall performance of the AFF processes.

The media used in AFF is the main constituent that dominates the finishing performance of AFF. However, commercially available AFM media are very costly and not environmentally sustainable, and even unaffordable. Therefore, development of low-cost and environmental friendly abrasive media is highly desired. Sambharia and Mali⁴⁵ synthesized an alternative low-cost polymer abrasive gel (PAG) for AFF and correlated with commercially available media (see Table 1).

Table 1.

Cost comparison of alternative developed polymer abrasive gel with commercially available AFM media.

Cost of media
Polymer abrasive gel		Commercially available AFM media (STUTZ Company, Chicago, IL, USA)
Media ingredients	Cost	Media ingredients
Abrasive (50%) aluminum oxide of 24 grit size	US$42	For 24 grit aluminum oxide in a polymer slurry
Additive polymer base (50%)	US$23
Liquid synthesizer (3%)	US$2
Total cost (for 10 gallons media)	US$67 (approximate cost)	US$200

AFM: abrasive flow machining.

Utilizing the developed PAG media, Mali et al.⁴⁶ established a system for internal finishing of price-sensitive industrial components. Moreover, they claimed that the developed media can be recycled after some minor addition in next finishing cycle. The reusability life of AFM media is very important, and it majorly depends on abrasives cutting edges, workpiece hardness, and geometry of workpiece.

The temperature rise during finishing operation has a major effect on the efficiency and life of the media. Due to constant shearing of the surface peaks and friction in finishing surface, the media temperature rises. As the temperature of media increases, the long chains of polymer present in media collapse into small sections as well as the polymer molecules gain the energy and try to move separately. Consequently, with rise in temperature, the shear viscosity of media progressively decreases, and the media loses its finishing abilities.⁴⁷ Therefore, during finishing process, the temperature control device is very essential to increase the life cycle of media as well for increasing the performance of AFM process.

In the literature, a number of studies on finishing quality of various abrasive media with varying rheological properties have been reported. Zhang et al.⁴⁸ fabricated a new iron-based SiC spherical composite magnetic abrasive and compared the service life with previous magnetic abrasives. During the selection of the media, it is also important that the media should be mechanically stable. During finishing process with flow of media, the induced shear stress degrades the media, and media loses its abrasives-holding capability. Kar et al.⁴⁹ characterized the commercial AFM media through mechanical properties, such as modulus, tear strength, and hysteresis loss. The results of study are shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Physical properties of commercial AFM media.

Physical properties
Modulus at 25% strain and at 25 °C (MPa)	0.04
Modulus at 25% strain and at 35 °C (MPa)	0.03
Tear modulus at 25 °C and 25% strain (kN/m)	0.03
Hysteresis loss at 25 °C and 50% strain (J/m²)	474
Instantaneous viscosity/shear viscosity at 27 °C and shear rate of 100.0 s⁻¹ (Pa s)	2400
Creep compliance at 27 °C and creep time of 100 s (1/Pa)	5.63 × 10⁻⁴
Complex viscosity at 27 °C and frequency of 20 Hz (Pa s)	3.82 × 10⁴

AFM: abrasive flow machining.

The AFF media are into four categories (see Figure 3) on the basis of the base material used. In the next sections, research work done on development of different types of AFF media is discussed.

Figure 3.

Recent development in abrasive flow finishing media.

Silicon-based AFF media

In 1990, Rhoades⁵⁰ synthesized a viscoelastic AFF medium and observed the effect of viscosity, abrasive grain size, abrasive type, and abrasive concentration on the finishing performance. The study shows that the lower viscosity of media is more suitable for radiusing edges and short passage geometry workpieces, while stiffer media is more suitable for finishing of large passage workpieces. Davies and Fletcher⁵¹ studied the influence of rheological variables on response variables (improvement in surface roughness and MRR) for polyborosiloxane (PBS)-based AFM media. From experimental analysis, they observed that the viscosity of the media increases with an increase in the temperature.

Rubber-based AFF media

To achieve a more flexibility in AFF media, Wang and Weng⁵² used abrasive particles in silicone rubber–based media (PAGs). They studied the performed on AFM for finishing the recast layers generated by electrical discharge machining (EDM). Ravi Sankar et al.⁴⁷ developed an alternative AFM media using a polymer of co-polymeric soft styrene butadiene, plasticizer, and abrasives. Static and dynamic rheological properties of these in-house synthesized media were evaluated, and it was reported that developed media follows a viscoelastic behavior with shear thinning nature. Kar et al.⁵³ synthesized an alternative AFM media using butyl rubber as a viscoelastic base carrier. After experimental analysis, they found that frequency, creeping time, temperature, and shear rate have the major effect on rheological characteristics. Also, by adding more quantity of oil in media will degrade the surface quality improvement.

Polypropylene glycol and polyethylene glycol–based AFF media

Dabrowski et al.⁵⁴ prepared a media for ECAFM process by mixing the electrolytes such as gelated polymers (polypropylene glycol) and water gels (sodium iodide salt and polyethylene glycol with potassium cyanide) as base material. During finishing process, reduction in number of the finishing cycle was perceived with developed media as compared to other AFM media. The major limitation of ECAFM process is, it is applicable only for electrically conductive materials.

Natural polymer–based AFF media

Rajesha et al.⁵⁵ synthesized an alternative AFM media using the natural polymer of ester group and naphthenic-based oil for varying the viscosity of the AFM media. They claimed that the percentage abrasive concentration and extrusion media pressure are significant for improvement in surface roughness and MRR. Wang et al.⁵⁶ developed power law model to study the relation of shear rates and viscosities on various abrasive gels in CFD-ACE⁺software. They found that high-viscosity abrasive gel generates a higher shear force compared to low-viscosity abrasive gel.

Jain et al.⁵⁷ developed a media by mixing abrasive particles and varnish oil in commercial grade putty. They showed that AFM media viscosity decreases with an increase in the shear rate and wall shear stress. Furthermore, the percentage of abrasive concentration, media temperature, and abrasive grain size has vital effects on the media viscosity. Tzeng et al.⁵⁸ synthesized an AFM media with self-modulating properties like viscosity and fluidity could be controlled during the finishing process. They claimed that at high viscosity and concentration, the surface roughness of a medium with a coarse particle size is lower than that of a medium with a fine particle size. Mali and Sambharia⁵⁹ developed a low-cost alternative PAG and performed rheological tests to find the influence of rheological variables on finishing quality. Sidpara et al.⁶⁰ used Bingham plastic flow model, Herschel–Bulkley model, and Casson fluid models to illustrate the rheological properties (yield stress and viscosity) of MR fluid under the effect of the magnetic field. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis, they observed that magnetic field has the maximum influence on the yield stress, that is, 92.72% and viscosity, that is, 49.95%. Saraswathamma et al.⁶¹ designed and fabricated a parallel-plate magnetorheometer to study the role of CIP size on the rheological characteristics (field-induced yield stress and shear viscosity) of MR polishing fluid under various magnetic flux densities. From rheology results, they observed higher shear thinning in the case of CIP-OS (coated with SiO₂) with and without exterior magnetic flux density.

Experimental studies on AFF process variables

There are several variables such as media extrusion pressure, abrasive grain size, number of finishing cycles, media flow volume, and abrasive media rheology which affect the feature characteristics of the AFF process. Many researchers worked on the AFF process to finish different shapes and sizes of workpiece. Jain and Adsul⁶² stated that MR and improvement in surface roughness are higher for the soft workpiece material as compared to hard workpiece material. They reported that the most important process variables are percentage abrasive concentration followed by abrasive grain size and number of finishing cycles. Williams⁶³ developed a new modeling and analysis method called data-dependent systems (DDS) and used it to study the finished surfaces generated by AFM process. After the experimental study, they concluded that media viscosity majorly affects the MR and surface finish.

For reducing the surface roughness of surfaces, Wang et al.⁶⁴ developed a novel helical passageway to perform multiple flowing paths of an abrasive medium in AFM process. Fang et al.⁶⁵ studied the particle movement arrangements of ellipsoidal elements in AFM. An analytical model of ellipsoidal geometry has been developed with abrasive particle ellipticity, normal load, particle grain size, and material hardness. Gov et al.⁶⁶ investigated the influence of hardness of components on AFM process performance. They reported that white layer generated during wire electric discharge machining can be removed by AFM process in a few cycles. In addition, the surface cracks found to be decreased.

Finishing of spring collets of chrome molybdenum material with AFM for removing deburrs was reported in the study of Kim and Kim.⁶⁷ High viscosity media gives higher deburring effects compared to medium viscosity media or low viscosity media. Gov and Eyercioglu⁶⁸ observed that AFM media synthesized with B₄C and SiC abrasives have better surface improvement than the Al₂O₃ and Garnet abrasives.

AFF modeling and optimization

The process modeling and analysis benefits in understanding the effect of various finishing parameters on the finishing process mechanism and MR. To enhance the capability of the multifaceted process, it is essential to create a modest model in which process parameters can be varied in random order to examine their effects on performance measure variables. In analyzing the influence of AFF process variables on MRR and surface finish quality, researchers worked on developing the mathematical models for the process.^69,70

Dong et al.⁷¹ studied the machining mechanism for high viscoelastic media in AFM and developed theoretical models of the normal pressure on the work surface and the wall sliding velocity based on rheology theory. They performed the numerical simulations using proposed model at various machining conditions and confirmed the outcomes with actual experimental results. Jain and Jain⁷² developed a model for the calculation of specific energy and tangential forces in the AFM process and reported that specific energy remains almost constant with a change in abrasive grain size. Jain et al.⁷³ established a surface roughness method to compute the centerline average surface roughness (R_a) in MAF process. After checking the validity of the developed surface roughness method with experimental results, they observed that average surface roughness value of the finished specimen surface decreases with an increase in magnetic flux density, the size of magnetic abrasive grains, and the rotating speed of flexible magnetic abrasive brush. Walia et al.⁷⁴ developed a mathematical model to calculate the number of dynamic active abrasive particles contributing in the finishing operation and found great enhancement of number of dynamic active abrasive particles in CFAAFM as compared to the AFM process, which seems to be the contributing factor for the increase in MR and percentage improvement in surface roughness. Gorana et al.⁷⁵ developed a theoretical model for prediction of forces in grain–workpiece interaction during material deformation and compared with the experimental data of force and active grains obtained during AFM.

Jain and colleagues^76,77 studied the MR mechanism of AFM by developing finite element model of forces acting on a single grain. They also compared the results obtained from finite element analysis for MR. Jain and Jain⁷⁸ developed stochastic simulation model to determine the active grain density on the media surface which is in contact with the work surface and correlated with experimental observations.

In a study, researchers worked on CFD simulations to understand the flow characteristics and relation to performance measure variables of AFF process.⁷⁹ For understanding the mechanism of reduction of MR proficiency with temperature, Fang et al.⁸⁰ used CFD methodology to calculate the abrasive grains movement propensity. Howard and Cheng⁸¹ proposed industrial feasibility approach to confirm an integrated optimum configuration of machine, media, and geometry can be achieved by AFM process optimization. Uhlmann et al.⁸² developed a process model using modern simulation techniques by determining the basic principles of AFM on ceramic materials and created relationship between flow processes, surface development, and edge rounding. Wang et al.⁸³ described that at a constant pressure, the velocities, strain rates, and shear forces of the AFM media acting on the finishing profile can be evaluated. In analyzing the influence of AFM process variables on MRR and surface finish quality, Jain et al.⁸⁴ used artificial neural network (ANN) and multivariable regression analysis (MVRA) technique in AFM process. From experimental results, they concluded that percentage error in estimation of untrained data by ANN model was from 0.25% to 8.95%, while it was from 0.09% to 25% in outcomes by MVRA. Mali and Manna⁸⁵ also compared ANN model with MVRA for modeling and simulation of output parameters during finishing of Al/SiCp MMCs components. Petri et al.⁸⁶ developed the process modeling method, by combining a heuristic search algorithm with ANN method that calculates surface finish quality and dimensional variation for AFM. Sankar et al.⁸⁷ used non-linear MVRA and ANNs for modeling of process parameters of DBG-AFF process, and simulated results found close to experimental outcomes.

The effective, proficient, and economic performance of AFF demands the selection of optimum process variables. Generally, values of process parameters are designated either based on the skill, capability, and acquaintance of the machinist or from the propriety machining handbooks. The selection of process variables based on the industrialist knowledge does not entirely fulfill the necessities of high effectiveness and good superiority. So using different optimization and simulation technique, better performance of the process can be achieved. Some researchers like Mali and Manna,⁸⁸ Walia et al.,⁸⁹ Singh et al.,⁹⁰ used the Taguchi technique in the optimization of the process parameters of AFF process and to observe the influence of various process variables on output characteristics. Jain et al.⁹¹ used genetic algorithms for optimizing the process parameters, namely, USM, abrasive jet machining (AJM), water jet machining (WJM), and abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) processes. Jain and Jain⁹² and Jain et al.⁹³ used ANN for modeling and optimal selection of input parameters of AFM process and validated the optimized results by genetic algorithm.

Finishing of hard materials and different workpiece geometries

In current manufacturing industries, the demand of finishing for wide variety of hard materials and requirements of high-precision components with superior surface quality is continuously increasing. The AFF processes are playing a crucial role to meet these requirements. Williams et al.⁹⁴ used AFM process to finish conformal cooling/heating channels in profiled edge laminae (PEL) rapid tooling component. Finishing of carbon–carbon composites (C/Cs) is very challenging owing to their non-homogeneity, anisotropy, hardness, and inherent brittleness properties of materials. So experimental investigations have been performed by Ravikumar et al.⁹⁵ for finishing 3D C/C workpieces using styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)-based finishing media. Sankar et al.⁹⁶ conducted experiments for finishing the MMCs of Al/15 wt% SiCp material using AFM. Sushil et al.⁹⁷ experimented on AFM using liquid silicone (carrier)–based abrasive media and claimed that the media extrusion pressure is the most important factor for MRR and ΔRa.

Finishing of complex freeform surfaces is another stimulating job in current manufacturing industries. For overcoming the difficulty of finishing the freeform surface, Sidpara and Jain⁹⁸ developed magnetorheological fluid–based finishing method for finishing knee joint implant, which has intricate freeform planes. They developed water-based MR fluid by addition of the chemicals that reacts with titanium material, such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) and nitric acid (HNO₃). They reported roughness value of 28 nm after finishing the knee joint implant of titanium material. Sarkar and Jain⁹⁹ worked for improvement of the external morphology of freeform surfaces, especially knee joint, using AFF. After finishing SS material knee joint, they achieved best surface finish quality ranging from (Ra) 42.9 to 62.5 nm at various positions of the knee joint. Kenda et al.¹⁰⁰ finished the hardened tool steel AISI D2 workpiece initially machined by electric discharge machining process. They investigated the influence of the AFM process parameters on surface integrity, that is, surface roughness and induced residual stresses, and noted a key improvement in surface integrity.

AFF process has been used for finishing plastic gears that is a significant invention for injection molding tool industries. Kenda et al.¹⁰¹ used AFM technique to finish the plastic gear and improved the surface roughness value from Ra = 0.68 to 0.08 μm in 120 sec. time. Howard and Cheng¹⁰² conducted some experiments for finishing Ti alloys using AFM process and observed the effect of machining variables on surface quality. After finishing, they achieved up to 1.5 mm the edge rounding in finishing of titanium alloy 6Al4V using media with abrasive grit size 700 mm.

Future research scope

Based on the review of the literature, some of the issues and research gaps are identified and discussed in the following section.

Study of mechanisms associated with finishing process

In the AFF process, the rare literature is available which explains the MR mechanism of AFF. The precise mechanism by which the different abrasive grains achieve MR is still unavailable. There is a need to study the complete theoretical analysis of AFM abrasive media to find out that the stresses and machining forces cause the removal of materials and perform the finishing. This kind of study will help in modeling and understanding of the finishing mechanism during the AFF process.

Development of specific multi-component tooling and fixture

Many researchers worked on the development of tooling and fixture for the components which are different in geometrical shape and size. But still research work on the development of tooling and fixture for multiple components and for complex part shape is required so that the mass production can be increased and cost of surface-finishing can be reduced. Also, supplementary work is required in the design of tooling and fixture of AFF to improve surface roughness and increases in MRR.

Application of process monitoring techniques

Effective online observing and adaptive control systems are required for improvement of performance of the AFF process. In 1998, Williams¹⁰³ developed an Acoustic emission (AE)-based monitoring approach for monitoring the performance of the AFM process. During MAF process, Oh and Lee¹⁰⁴ observed the AE signals and force signals to estimate surface roughness of finishing profile. They used the AE signals as input parameters of ANNs for monitoring and prediction of nanoscale precision finishing processes. Recently, Sun et al.¹⁰⁵ developed an online monitoring technique based on characterizing AE signals for automation of the fluid MAF process.

The literature survey points out rare studies on process monitoring of AFF processes. Still, there is need to carry out extensive work for process monitoring to be able to control and achieve best AFF process performance.

Environmental issues and cost effectiveness

In the current age, environmental footprint of any commercial activity cannot be ignored. Due to commercial PBS-based media, presently AFM produces bio-non-degradable recurring waste. Efforts are to be done to make AFF process environmentally friendly.

For small-scale industries, especially in developing countries, the cost factor is very crucial. These industries are still following manual finishing of their components and getting inconsistent results, waste of material, and improper finishing of complicated surface. Even major industries which purchase the costly AFM machine face the pinch of the high recurring cost of media. Today, main competition in industries is technology at an affordable price and that too at environmentally sustainable scale; so research for low-cost environmentally sustainable media is needed.

Industrial implementation

Although the research is going on the development of novel AFF techniques and media development, it is primarily focused on the laboratory stage. Very few studies have resulted in an industrial-oriented solution. In current time, knowledge transfer is known to be a challenging task. The difficulties associated with the developments often results in wide span of time for technology transfer from the research organization to manufacturing industry. After development of a new technique as a finishing solution, many aspects of industrial applications still lack and hence implementation becomes stimulating work. Rare researchers worked on finishing of additive manufacturing (AM) components. Finishing of 3D-printed or fused deposition modeling (FDM) components may be new era in technology development.

Conclusion

AFF is a prominent advanced finishing technique being used for finishing complex shapes in wide variety of materials. This article presents a comprehensive review of current advancement in the area of AFF, highlighting the challenges and future research opportunities. The following conclusions have been drawn based on the review:

The AFF media is key factor in AFF processes. Although some studies have been reported on development of an alternative AFF media, development of low-cost, environmentally sustainable AFF media is still vital.

Hybrid AFF processes owing to high finishing capability, less-affected surface integrity of processes parts, and high MRR are becoming popular for finishing of difficult-to-cut materials like Nickel alloys, Titanium alloys, and MMCs. Hybrid finishing processes such as R-AFF, MRAFF, CFAAFM, and DBG-AFF have been developed and found to be effective for advanced finishing applications.

For finishing intricate holes, the UAAFM process found to be superior over other finishing process. The MAF process was found most beneficial for internal surface-finishing and have ability in precision finishing of small and intricate channels.

The MFP is typically used for spherical workpieces, MRF is used for high-precision components with mirror like finish, and MAF is used for bulky, flat, and cylindrical workpieces.

AFF has also found its application in polishing of plastic gear tool inserts. The application of AFF processes for finishing additive manufactured components will be new era in finishing applications.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India, for financial support for the project no. SR/FTP/ETA-0078/2011 dated 17/09/2012. They also acknowledge Dr Deepak Rajendra Unune for assisting them for improvement in technical English in research article.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

Jain

VK.

Abrasive-based nano-finishing techniques: an overview. Mach Sci Technol 2008; 12: 257–294.

Rhoades

. Abrasive flow machining: a review. Manuf Eng 2: 75–78.

Kavithaa

Balashanmugam

Nanometric surface finishing of typical industrial components by abrasive flow finishing. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2016; 85: 2189.

Thirumalai

Natchimuthu

Nanometric finishing on biomedical implants by abrasive flow finishing. J Inst Eng Ser C 2015; 97: 55–61.

Cheema

Venkatesh

Dvivedi

et al . Developments in abrasive flow machining: a review on experimental investigations using abrasive flow machining variants and media. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2012; 226(12): 1951–1962.

Mali

Manna

Current status and application of abrasive flow finishing processes: a review. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2009; 223: 809–820.

Tan

Yeo

S-H

Ong

CH.

Nontraditional finishing processes for internal surfaces and passages: a review. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2017; 231 (13): 2302–2316. DOI: 10.1177/0954405415626087.

Rhoades

Kohut

Nokovich

et al . Unidirectional abrasive flow machining. US Patent 5,367,833, 1994.

Perry

KE.

Abrasive flow machining method and tooling. US 4005549 A, 1977.

10.

Rhoades

Kohut

Nokovich

NP.

Reversible unidirectional abrasive flow machining. US 5070652, 1991.

11.

Rhoades

LJ.

Orbital and/or reciprocal machining with a viscous plastic medium. US, WO 90/05044, 1990.

12.

Rhoades

LJ.

Abrasive flow machining with an in situ viscous plastic medium. US 5125191, 1992.

13.

Williams

RE.

Method and apparatus for controlling abrasive flow machining. US 6319094 B1, 2001.

14.

Walch

Greenslet

Rusnica

et al . High precision abrasive flow machine apparatus and method. US 6500050 B2, 2002.

15.

Singh

Shan

HS.

Development of magneto abrasive flow machining process. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2002; 42: 953–959.

16.

Jha

Jain

VK.

Nanofinishing of silicon nitride workpieces using magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing. Int J Nanomanuf 2006; 1: 17.

17.

Jha

Jain

VK.

Design and development of the magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) process. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2004; 44: 1019–1029.

18.

Jha

Jain

VK.

Modeling and simulation of surface roughness in magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) process. Wear 2006; 261: 856–866.

19.

Jha

Jain

Komanduri

Effect of extrusion pressure and number of finishing cycles on surface roughness in magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing (MRAFF) process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2007; 33: 725–729.

20.

Singh

Shan

Kumar

Wear behavior of materials in magnetically assisted abrasive flow machining. J Mater Process Technol 2002; 128: 155–161.

21.

Walia

Shan

Kumar

Abrasive flow machining with additional centrifugal force applied to the media. Mach Sci Technol 2006; 10: 341–354.

22.

Ravi Sankar

Jain

Ramkumar

. Experimental investigations into rotating workpiece abrasive flow finishing. Wear 2009; 267: 43–51.

23.

Ravi Sankar

Jain

Ramkumar

. Rotational abrasive flow finishing (R-AFF) process and its effects on finished surface topography. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2010; 50: 637–650.

24.

Jones

Hull

JB.

Ultrasonic flow polishing. Ultrasonics 1998; 36: 97–101.

25.

Mulik

Pandey

PM.

Ultrasonic assisted magnetic abrasive finishing of hardened AISI 52100 steel using unbonded SiC abrasives. Int J Refract Met Hard Mater 2010; 29: 68–77.

26.

Mulik

Pandey

PM.

Mechanism of surface finishing in ultrasonic-assisted magnetic abrasive finishing process. Mater Manuf Process 2010; 25: 1418–1427.

27.

Mulik

Pandey

PM.

Experimental investigations and modeling of finishing force and torque in ultrasonic assisted magnetic abrasive finishing. J Manuf Sci Eng 2012; 134: 51008.

28.

Venkatesh

Sharma

Kumar

On ultrasonic assisted abrasive flow finishing of bevel gears. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2015; 89: 29–38.

29.

Kala

Pandey

PM.

Comparison of finishing characteristics of two paramagnetic materials using double disc magnetic abrasive finishing. J Manuf Process 2015; 17: 63–70.

30.

Dabrowski

Marciniak

Zygmunt

Advancement of abrasive flow machining using an anodic solution. J New Mater Electrochem Syst 2006; 445: 439–445.

31.

Brar

Walia

Singh

VP.

Electrochemical-aided abrasive flow machining (ECA²FM) process: a hybrid machining process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2015; 79: 329–342.

32.

Brar

Walia

Singh

. Regression model for electro-chemical aided abrasive flow machining (ECA²FM) process, 2014, pp.1–8, http://www.iitg.ernet.in/aimtdr2014/PROCEEDINGS/papers/382.pdf

33.

Mali

Manna

An experimental investigation during finishing of particulate reinforced Al/10 wt % SiC p -MMC on developed AFF setup. Int J Manuf Manag 2014; 28: 114–131.

34.

Sushil

Vinod

Harmesh

Multi-objective optimization of process parameters involved in micro-finishing of Al/SiC MMCs by abrasive flow machining process. Proc IMechE, Part L: J Materials: Design and Applications 2018; 232 (4): 319–332. DOI: 10.1177/1464420715627292.

35.

Liu

Yang

et al . Design and simulation for mico-hole abrasive flow machining. In: IEEE 10th international conference on computer-aided industrial design & conceptual design, Wenzhou, China, 26–29 November 2009, pp.815–820. New York: IEEE.

36.

Bähre

Brünnet

Swat

. Investigation of one-way abrasive flow machining and in-process measurement of axial forces. In: 5 CIRP conference on high performance cutting, 2012, pp.419–424, http://ac.els-cdn.com/S2212827112000765/1-s2.0-S2212827112000765-main.pdf?_tid=5c48cf0a-8ed7-11e7-ab37-00000aab0f6b&acdnat=1504244307_ce8f43dbae14ea5d8a5e071434e659b8

37.

Das

Jain

Ghoshdastidar

PS.

Nano-finishing of stainless-steel tubes using rotational magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing process. Mach Sci Technol 2010; 14: 365–389.

38.

Das

Jain

Ghoshdastidar

PS.

The out-of-roundness of the internal surfaces of stainless steel tubes finished by the rotational–magnetorheological abrasive flow finishing process. Mater Manuf Process 2011; 26: 1073–1084.

39.

Singh

Jha

Pandey

PM.

Parametric analysis of an improved ball end magnetorheological finishing process. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2012; 226: 1550–1563.

40.

Judal

Yadava

Experimental investigations into electrochemical magnetic abrasive machining of cylindrical shaped nonmagnetic stainless steel workpiece. Mater Manuf Process 2013; 28: 1095–1101.

41.

Riveros

Hann

Taylor

et al . Nanoscale surface modifications by magnetic field-assisted finishing. J Manuf Sci Eng 2013; 135: 51013.

42.

Ghadikolaei

Vahdati

Experimental study on the effect of finishing parameters on surface roughness in magneto-rheological abrasive flow finishing process. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2014; 229(9): 1517–1524.

43.

Singh

Garg

Development of magnetorheological finishing process for external cylindrical surfaces. Mater Manuf Process 2016; 32: 1–8.

44.

Grover

Singh

AK.

A novel magnetorheological honing process for nano-finishing of variable cylindrical internal surfaces. Mater Manuf Process 2017; 32: 1–8.

45.

Sambharia

Mali

HS.

Characterisation and performance evaluation of developed alternative polymer abrasive gels for abrasive flow finishing process. Int J Precis Technol 2015; 5: 185–200.

46.

Mali

Sambharia

Kumar

Design of a system for finishing complicated workpieces using abrasive laden base material. 201611008902A, India, 2016.

47.

Ravi Sankar

Jain

Ramkumar

et al . Rheological characterization of styrene-butadiene based medium and its finishing performance using rotational abrasive flow finishing process. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2011; 51: 947–957.

48.

Zhang

Zhao

et al . New iron-based SiC spherical composite magnetic abrasive for magnetic abrasive finishing. Chinese J Mech Eng 2013; 26: 377–383.

49.

Kar

Ravikumar

Tailor

et al . Preferential media for abrasive flow machining. J Manuf Sci Eng 2009; 131: 11009.

50.

Rhoades

Abrasive flow machining: a case study. J Mater Process Technol 1991; 28: 107–116.

51.

Davies

Fletcher

The assessment of the rheological characteristics of various polyborosiloxane/grit mixtures as utilized in the abrasive flow machining process. Proc IMechE, Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 1995; 209: 409–418.

52.

Wang

Weng

SH.

Developing the polymer abrasive gels in AFM process. J Mater Process Technol 2007; 192–193: 486–490.

53.

Kar

Ravikumar

Tailor

et al . Performance evaluation and rheological characterization of newly developed butyl rubber based media for abrasive flow machining process. J Mater Process Technol 2009; 209: 2212–2221.

54.

Dabrowski

Marciniak

Szewczyk

Analysis of abrasive flow machining with an electrochemical process aid. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2006; 220: 397–403.

55.

Rajesha

Venkatesh

Sharma

et al . Performance study of a natural polymer based media for abrasive flow machining. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2010; 17: 407–413.

56.

Wang

Liu

Liang

et al . Study of the rheological properties and the finishing behavior of abrasive gels in abrasive flow machining. J Mech Sci Technol 2007; 21: 1593–1598.

57.

Jain

Ranganatha

Muralidhar

Rheological properties of medium for AFM process evaluation of rheological properties of medium for AFM process. Mach Sci Technol An Int J 2001; 5: 151–170.

58.

Tzeng

Yan

Hsu

et al . Self-modulating abrasive medium and its application to abrasive flow machining for finishing micro channel surfaces. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2007; 32: 1163–1169.

59.

Mali

Sambharia

. Developing alternative polymer abrasive gels for abrasive flow finishing process. In: 5th international & 26th All India manufacturing technology, design and research conference (AIMTDR 2014), 2014, pp.1–8, http://www.iitg.ernet.in/aimtdr2014/PROCEEDINGS/papers/820.pdf

60.

Sidpara

Das

Jain

VK.

Rheological characterization of magnetorheological finishing fluid. Mater Manuf Process 2009; 24: 1467–1478.

61.

Saraswathamma

Jha

Rao

PV.

Rheological characterization of MR polishing fluid used for silicon polishing in BEMRF process. Mater Manuf Process 2015; 30: 661–668.

62.

Jain

Adsul

SG.

Experimental investigations into abrasive flow machining (AFM). Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2000; 40: 1003–1021.

63.

Williams

RE.

Stochastic modeling and analysis of abrasive flow machining. Trans ASME 1992; 114: 74–81.

64.

Wang

Cheng

Chen

et al . Enhancing the surface precision for the helical passageways in abrasive flow machining. Mater Manuf Process 2014; 29(2): 153–159.

65.

Fang

Zhao

et al . Movement patterns of ellipsoidal particle in abrasive flow machining. J Mater Process Technol 2009; 209: 6048–6056.

66.

Gov

Eyercioglu

Cakir

MV.

Hardness effects on abrasive flow machining. Journal Mech Eng 2013; 59: 626–631.

67.

Kim

KD.

Deburring of burrs in spring collets by abrasive flow machining. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2004; 24: 469–473.

68.

Gov

Eyercioglu

Effects of abrasive types on the surface integrity of abrasive-flow-machined surfaces. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2018; 232(6): 1044–1053. DOI: 10.1177/0954405416662080.

69.

Gorana

Jain

Lal

GK.

Prediction of surface roughness during abrasive flow machining. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2006; 31: 258–267.

70.

Kumar Jain

Jain

. Simulation of surface generated in abrasive flow machining process. Robot Comput Integr Manuf 1999; 15: 403–412.

71.

Dong

Liu

Study on machining mechanism of high viscoelastic abrasive flowing machining (AFM) for surface finishing. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2015; 231(4): 608–617.

72.

Jain

VK.

Specific energy and temperature determination in abrasive flow machining process. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2001; 41: 1689–1704.

73.

Jain

Jayswal

Dixit

PM.

Modeling and simulation of surface roughness in magnetic abrasive finishing using non-uniform surface profiles. Mater Manuf Process 2007; 22: 256–270.

74.

Walia

Shan

Kumar

Determining dynamically active abrasive particles in the media used in centrifugal force assisted abrasive flow machining process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2008; 38: 1157–1164.

75.

Gorana

Jain

Lal

GK.

Forces prediction during material deformation in abrasive flow machining. Wear 2006; 260: 128–139.

76.

Jain

Kumar

Dixit

et al . Investigations into abrasive flow finishing of complex workpieces using FEM. Wear 2009; 267: 71–80.

77.

Jain

Dixit

PM.

Modeling of material removal and surface roughness in abrasive flow machining process. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 1999; 39: 1903–1923.

78.

Jain

VK.

Stochastic simulation of active grain density in abrasive flow machining. J Mater Process Technol 2004; 152: 17–22.

79.

Wan

Ang

Sato

et al . Process modeling and CFD simulation of two-way abrasive flow machining. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2014; 71: 1077–1086.

80.

Fang

Zhao

Sun

et al . Temperature as sensitive monitor for efficiency of work in abrasive flow machining. Wear 2009; 266: 678–687.

81.

Howard

Cheng

An industrially feasible approach to process optimisation of abrasive flow machining and its implementation perspectives. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2013; 227: 1748–1752.

82.

Uhlmann

Mihotovic

Coenen

Modelling the abrasive flow machining process on advanced ceramic materials. J Mater Process Technol 2009; 209: 6062–6066.

83.

Wang

Tsai

Liang

et al . Uniform surface polished method of complex holes in abrasive flow machining. Trans Nonferrous Met Soc China 2009; 19: s250–s2257.

84.

Jain

Kalra

PK.

Modelling of abrasive flow machining process: a neural network approach. Wear 1999; 231: 242–248.

85.

Mali

Manna

Simulation of surface generated during abrasive flow finishing of Al/SiCp-MMC using neural networks. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2012; 61: 1263–1268.

86.

Petri

Billo

Bidanda

A neural network process model for abrasive flow machining operations. J Manuf Syst 1998; 17: 52–64.

87.

Sankar

Mondal

Ramkumar

et al . Experimental investigations and modeling of drill bit-guided abrasive flow finishing (DBG-AFF) process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2009; 42: 678–688.

88.

Mali

Manna

Optimum selection of abrasive flow machining conditions during fine finishing of Al/15 wt% SiC-MMC using Taguchi method. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2010; 50: 1013–1024.

89.

Walia

Shan

Kumar

Parametric optimization of centrifugal force-assisted abrasive flow machining (CFAAFM) by the Taguchi method. Mater Manuf Process 2006; 21: 375–382.

90.

Singh

Jain

Raghuram

Parametric study of magnetic abrasive finishing process. J Mater Process Technol 2004; 149: 22–29.

91.

Jain

Deb

Optimization of process parameters of mechanical type advanced machining processes using genetic algorithms. Int J Mach Tools Manuf 2007; 47: 900–919.

92.

Jain

VK.

Optimum selection of machining conditions in abrasive flow machining using neural network. J Mater Process Technol 2000; 108: 62–67.

93.

Jain

Jha

Parametric optimization of advanced fine-finishing processes. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2007; 34: 1191–1213.

94.

Williams

Walczyk

Dang

HT.

Using abrasive flow machining to seal and finish conformal channels in laminated tooling. Rapid Prototyp J 2007; 13: 64–75.

95.

Ravikumar

Kar

Sathiyamoorthy

et al . Surface finishing of carbon-carbon composites using abrasive flow machining. Fuller Nanotub Car N 2012; 20: 170–182.

96.

Sankar

Ramkumar

Jain

VK.

Experimental investigation and mechanism of material removal in nano finishing of MMCs using abrasive flow finishing (AFF) process. Wear 2009; 266: 688–698.

97.

Sushil

Vinod

Harmesh

Experimental investigation and optimization of process parameters of Al/Sic MMCs finished by abrasive flow machining. Mater Manuf Process 2015; 30: 902–911.

98.

Jain

Sidpara

AM.

Nanofinishing of freeform surfaces of prosthetic knee joint implant. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2012; 226: 1833–1846.

99.

Sarkar

Jain

VK.

Nanofinishing of freeform surfaces using abrasive flow finishing process. Proc IMechE Part B J Eng Manuf 2015; 231(9): 1501–1515.

100.

Kenda

Pusavec

Kermouche

et al . Surface integrity in abrasive flow machining of hardened tool steel AISI D2. Procedia Eng 2011; 19: 172–177.

101.

Kenda

Duhovnik

Tavčar

et al . Abrasive flow machining applied to plastic gear matrix polishing. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 2014; 71: 141–151.

102.

Howard

Cheng

An integrated systematic investigation of the process variables on surface generation in abrasive flow machining of titanium alloy 6Al4V. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2014; 228: 1419–1431.

103.

Williams

RE.

Acoustic emission characteristics of abrasive flow machining. J Manuf Sci Eng 1998; 120: 264.

104.

Lee

SH.

Prediction of surface roughness in magnetic abrasive finishing using acoustic emission and force sensor data fusion. Proc IMechE, Part B: J Engineering Manufacture 2011; 225: 853–865.

105.

Sun

Wang

Longstaff

et al . Characterizing acoustic emission signals for the online monitoring of a fluid magnetic abrasives finishing process. Proc IMechE, Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science 2018; 232 (11): 2079–2087. DOI: 10.1177/0954406217712744.

Recent developments in abrasive flow finishing process: A review of current research and future prospects

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Developments in AFF process

Preliminary developments in AFF process

Recent advances in AFF processes

Magnetic force–assisted AFF

Centre tooling–assisted AFF

Ultrasonic force–assisted AFF

Electrochemical-based AFF

Recent work in design and fabrication of AFF setup

Developments in AFF media

Silicon-based AFF media

Rubber-based AFF media

Polypropylene glycol and polyethylene glycol–based AFF media

Natural polymer–based AFF media

Experimental studies on AFF process variables

AFF modeling and optimization

Finishing of hard materials and different workpiece geometries

Future research scope

Study of mechanisms associated with finishing process

Development of specific multi-component tooling and fixture

Application of process monitoring techniques

Environmental issues and cost effectiveness

Industrial implementation

Conclusion

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Declaration of conflicting interests

Funding

References