An electrochemomechanical polishing process using magnetorheological fluid

A new electrochemomechanical polishing process using a magnetorheological (MR) fluid is proposed in this study. The process uses the electrochemical anodic reactions on an electrically conductive workpiece under an electric field and an electrolytic solution soaked in the same carbonyl iron (CI) particles as those used in the conventional MR polishing process, where the yield stress is controllable through the external magnetic field. Through experiments, we show that the new process is suitable for polishing three-dimensionally configured workpieces made of very hard materials, such as glassy carbon (GC), that are very difficult to polish using conventional processes. To examine the benefits and limitations of the proposed polishing process, a preliminary electrochemical experiment was performed on GC specimens, and the characteristics of the resultant electrochemical reactions in an aqueous electrolytic solution were investigated. The effectiveness of the proposed process was then demonstrated by polishing GC molds designed to replicate a glass channel-mixer structure used for biochemical inspection applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.