Fundamental study of mass finishing processes with a focus on design of abrasive media and advanced modelling approaches

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Eckart Uhlmann
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: from 2014 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 266990228

Mass Finishing is a widely used technology for surface roughness improvement and edge rounding, applying loose abrasive particles as tools. Nevertheless only few researchers have investigated this technology and findings are limited to results of empirical studies of specific applications. Consequently mass finishing still remains a black box process that strongly relies on the experience of trained workers for process design and control in industrial application. In the current DFG-project Fundamentals of Mass Finishing first steps towards a comprehensive process model are taken. But shape and size of abrasive media have hardly been considered as a factor in past research. Although manufacturers of media offer a large variety of different media geometries. The influence of size and shape of media on surface evolution will be systematically investigated in the proposed research project. Furthermore current process models, considering the media-workpiece contact as well as material removal mechanisms, and the promising discrete element approach for simulating contact intensities that is established by current DFG-project will be enhanced to ensure wider applicability.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants