Polishing and Lapping Temperatures

Abstract

Polishing is a finishing process in which a smooth work surface is produced by rubbing it against a polishing block with an abrasive slurry interspersed between them. A model has been developed to estimate the temperature rise of the work surface in polishing. In this model, the forces acting on an abrasive particle are derived from a mechanistic analysis of abrasive-workpiece contacts. The heat generated at a contact is taken as the product of the friction force and the relative sliding velocity between the abrasive and the work surface. For calculating the heat flux transferred into the workpiece, each of the abrasive-workpiece contacts is modeled as a hardness indentation of the work material by a conical indenter. The moving heat source analyses of Jaeger and Blok are then applied to estimate the fraction of the heat flux flowing into the workpiece, and the maximum and average temperature rise of the work surface. Calculations of the work surface temperature rise are made for the polishing of steel, soda-lime glass, and ceramics. These show that the work surface temperature rise in polishing is quite small, typically much less than 200°C, and substantially less than in grinding. The low values calculated for the work surface temperature rise are shown to be consistent with many observations pertaining to the mechanical state of polished surfaces. The effect of polishing process variables on the work surface temperature rise is analyzed.