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Surface plastic flow in polishing of rough surfaces
Ashif S Iquebal1, Dinakar Sagapuram2, Satish T S Bukkapatnam2
1Texas A&M University, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, College Station, 77843, Texas, USA. ashif_22@tamu.edu.
Scientific Reports
|July 25, 2019
Summary
Polishing smooths surfaces via viscous material flow from asperities, forming fluid-like layers. This mechanism, observed in Ti-6Al-4V, involves dynamic recrystallization driven by high contact temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Tribology
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Understanding surface evolution during sliding contact is crucial for materials processing and tribology.
- Existing models of polishing mechanisms do not fully capture the observed phenomena.
- Additive manufacturing enables precise control over surface topography for experimental studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of surface smoothening during repetitive sliding contacts, specifically in polishing.
- To provide experimental evidence for a new mechanism involving viscous asperity behavior.
- To develop a quantitative method for characterizing surface morphology evolution.
Main Methods:
- Electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology of Ti-6Al-4V during polishing.
- Analytical modeling was employed to estimate contact temperatures during asperity-abrasive interactions.
- Graph theory was applied to quantitatively analyze the evolving surface morphology.
Main Results:
- Experimental observations revealed that asperity-abrasive contacts exhibit viscous behavior, with material flowing in fluid-like layers (1-10 μm).
- Bridging of these layers leads to progressive surface smoothening.
- Calculated flash temperatures (700-900 K) are within the dynamic recrystallization range of Ti-6Al-4V, supporting the observed flow.
Conclusions:
- A novel mechanism for surface smoothening in polishing, based on viscous asperity flow and dynamic recrystallization, has been experimentally validated.
- A graph theory-based approach offers an efficient method for quantifying surface morphology evolution during polishing.
- Findings have broad implications for materials processing, tribology, geological processes, and microstructure tailoring.
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