Effectiveness Analysis of Abrasive Flow Machining on Elbow Inner-surface Finish

Abstract

Abstract Higher standards have been set for elbow-type parts' inner-surface finish in industrial production. The influence mechanism of inlet velocity, bend ratio, and bending angle on the surface quality of elbows is analyzed to study the surface quality control technology of abrasive flow machining (AFM) elbows, and the surface quality control method of elbows in AFM is established. The results of the numerical simulation demonstrate that a suitable increase in inlet velocity can enhance the machining effect of the abrasive flow; a smaller curvature radius has a higher machining intensity and a larger curvature radius has a better overall machining uniformity; the numerical simulation also confirms that the analysis of the flow state in the 90° elbow applies to elbows with different bending angles, demonstrating the analysis's applicability. The test results of the curvature radius are consistent with the results of the numerical simulation, and for a larger curvature radius, the inlet velocity or inlet pressure can be increased appropriately to achieve better surface quality control. The test results of the inlet pressure show that increasing the inlet pressure can improve the machining effect of the abrasive flow, indicating that the inlet pressure and inlet velocity are proportional to each other. Therefore, the experimental findings confirm the accuracy of the numerical calculations and offer technical support for the elbow AFM quality control system that has been developed.