Fixed Abrasive Polishing in an Anhydrous Environment: A Material Removal Model for Fused Silica

Abstract

Due to the prevalent randomness and uncertainties associated with traditional loose polishing, fixed abrasive polishing in an anhydrous environment has been chosen as a new polishing method. In this paper, cerium oxide is the main component for polishing pellets, and the particle size distribution of cerium oxide is measured. A material removal model for fixed abrasive polishing of fused silica in an anhydrous environment is proposed. Based on this model, we simulate the roughness of fused silica in fixed abrasive polishing process by using a Monte Carlo method with a constant removal mechanism and obtain the percentage of plastic and chemical removal. The percentage result is then taken into the material removal equation to calculate the material removal rate. The final convergence value of the roughness with 2 μm particle size is about 1.8 nm, while the final convergence value of the surface roughness of the workpiece by Monte Carlo simulation is about 1 nm. The experimental material removal rate at 2 μm particle size is 5.48 μm/h, while the simulation result is 4.29 μm/h. The experiment data of roughness and material removal rate all verify the model.