Effect of Temperature on Material Removal Rate During Shear-Thickening Polishing

Shear-thickening polishing (STP) technology achieves efficient processing by modulating the non-Newtonian properties of the slurry, while temperature has an important effect on its rheological behavior. To reveal the effect of temperature on material removal rate (MRR) during the shear-thickening polishing process, this study measured the rheological profiles of the shear-thickening polishing slurry (STPS) at different temperatures and observed the rheological behavior using a high-speed video camera, as well as monitored the changes in the polishing force exerted on the workpieces, MRR, and the surface roughness. Experimental data show that the peak viscosity of the slurry in the shear-thickening state decreases from 0.81 Pa·s to 0.49 Pa·s as the temperature increases from 30 °C to 50 °C. High-speed video observations show that the wavy solid layer in the thickening area diminishes with increasing temperature, the distribution area shrinking, and nearly vanishing at 50 °C. When the temperature rises from 30 °C to 40 °C, the average polishing force at 30 min decreases from 25.3 N to 22.6 N by 10.6%. MRR decreases from 33.5 nm/min to 7.9 nm/min by 75.5%. The decrease in MRR is much greater than the polishing force. This study provides an experimental basis for the effect of temperature on STP.