International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959

Development of magneto abrasive flow machining process

Sehijpal Singh, H.S. Shan ∗
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee–247 667, India

Received 28 April 2001; received in revised form 25 January 2002; accepted 4 February 2002

Abstract

Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is a relatively new process among non-conventional machining processes. Low material removal
rate happens to be one serious limitation of almost all such processes. Limited efforts have hitherto been directed towards improving
the efficiency of these processes so as to achieve higher material removal rates by applying different techniques. This paper discusses
the possible improvement in surface roughness and material removal rate by applying a magnetic field around the workpiece in
AFM. A set-up has been developed for a composite process termed magneto abrasive flow machining (MAFM), and the effect of
key parameters on the performance of the process has been studied. Relationships are developed between the material removal rate
and the percentage improvement in surface roughness of brass components when finish-machined by this process. Analysis of
variance has been applied to identify significant parameters and to test the adequacy of the models. Experimental results indicate
significantly improved performance of MAFM over AFM.  2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Keywords: Abrasive flow machining; Electromagnet; Response surface methodology; Magnetic abrasives

1. Introduction work regarding process mechanisms, modelling of sur-

Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is one of the latest
non-conventional machining processes, which possesses
excellent capabilities for finish-machining of inaccess-
ible regions of a component. It has been successfully
employed for deburring, radiusing, and removing recast
layers of precision components. High levels of surface
finish and sufficiently close tolerances have been achi-
eved for a wide range of components [1]. In AFM, a
semi-solid medium consisting of a polymer-based carrier
and abrasives in a typical proportion is extruded under
pressure through or across the surfaces to be machined.
The medium acts as a deformable grinding tool when-
ever it is subjected to any restriction. A special fixture
is generally required to create restrictive passage or to
direct the medium to the desired locations in the work-
piece.
Extrude Hone Corporation, USA, originally developed
the AFM process in 1966. Since then, a few empirical
studies [1–5] have been carried out and also research
∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-1332-85016; fax: +91-1332-
73560.
E-mail address: shanhfme@isc.iitr.ernet.in (H.S. Shan).
face generation and process monitoring of AFM was
conducted by Williams and Rajurkar [6] during the late
1980s. Their work [7] was mainly related to online
monitoring of AFM with acoustic emission and stochas-
tic modelling of the process. Loveless et al. and Kozak
et al. [8,9] investigated the effect of previous machining
process on the quality of surface produced by AFM and
the flow behaviour of the medium used in the process.
Fletcher and others [10,11] reported studies on the rheol-
ogical properties and the effect of temperature of the
medium used in AFM. Przyklenk [12] conducted para-
metric studies of AFM. Research work concerning math-
ematical modelling, simulation of material removal and
surface generation with the help of finite element and
neural networks was presented by different researchers
[13–15]. Steif and Haan [16] suggested the presence of
‘dispersive stresses’, which enable wear of the surface
during abrasive flow processing. The dispersive stresses
are generated because of the difference between stresses
acting on abrasive particles and those acting in the sur-
rounding medium. Jones and Hull [17] reported the
modification of existing AFM by applying ultrasonic
waves in the medium for machining blind cavities. The
orbital flow machining process suggested by Gilmore
[18] has been recently claimed to be another improve-

0890-6955/02/$ - see front matter  2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

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954 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959
ment over AFM, which performs three-dimensional
machining of complex components. These processes can
be classified as hybrid machining processes (HMP)—a
recent concept in the advancement of non-conventional
machining. The reasons for developing a hybrid machin-
ing process are to make use of combined or mutually
enhanced advantages and to avoid or reduce some of the
adverse effects the constituent processes produce when
they are individually applied. Rajurkar and Kozak [19]
have described around 15 various processes under this
category.
In almost all non-conventional machining processes
such as electric discharge machining, electrochemical
machining, laser beam machining, etc., low material
removal rate is considered a general problem and
attempts are continuing to develop techniques to over-
come it. The present paper reports the preliminary results
of an ongoing research project being conducted with the
aim of exploring techniques for improving material
removal (MR) in AFM. One such technique studied uses
a magnetic field around the workpiece. Magnetic fields
have been successfully exploited in the past, such as
machining force in magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF),
used for micro machining and finishing of components,
particularly cirular tubes. Shinmura and Yamaguchi [20]
and more recently Kim et al. [21], Kremen et al. [22]
and Khairy [23] have reported studies on this process.
The process under investigation is the combination of
AFM and MAF, and is given the name magneto abrasive
flow machining (MAFM).
2. Experimental set-up
2.1. AFM set-up
An experimental set-up (Fig. 1) was designed and fab-
ricated. It consisted of two cylinders (1) containing the
medium along with oval flanges (2). The flanges facili-
tate clamping of the fixture (3) that contains the work-
piece (4) and index the set-up through 180° when
required.
Two eye bolts (5) also support this purpose. The set-
up is integrated to a hydraulic press (6). The flow rate
and pressure acting on piston of the press were made
adjustable. The flow rate of the medium was varied by
changing the speed of the press drive whereas the press-
ure acting on the medium is controlled by an auxiliary
hydraulic cylinder (7), which provides additional resist-
ance to the medium flowing through the workpiece. The
resistance provided by this cylinder is adjustable and can
be set to any desired value with the help of a modular
relief valve (8). The piston (9) of the hydraulic press
then imparts pressure to the medium according to the
passage size and resistance provided by opening of the
valve. As the pressure provided by the piston of the press
exceeds the resistance offered by the valve, the medium
starts flowing at constant pressure through the passage
in the workpiece. The upward movement of the piston
(i.e. stroke length) is controlled with the help of a limit
switch. At the end of the stroke the lower cylinder com-
pletely transfers the medium through the workpiece to
the upper cylinder. The position of the two cylinders is
interchanged by giving rotation to the assembly through
180° and the next stroke is started. Two strokes make
up one cycle. A digital counter is used to count the num-
ber of cycles. Temperature indicators for medium and
hydraulic oil are also attached.
2.2. The fixture
The work fixture was made of nylon, a non-magnetic
material. It was specially designed to accommodate elec-
tromagnet poles such that the maximum magnetic pull
occurs near the inner surface of the workpiece.
2.3. The electromagnet
The electromagnet was designed and fabricated for its
location around the cylindrical workpiece. It consists of
two poles that are surrounded by coils arranged in such
a manner as to provide the maximum magnetic field near
the entire internal surface of the workpiece. Table 1
gives the specifications of the electromagnet.
2.4. The abrasive medium
The medium used for this study consists of a silicon-
based polymer, hydrocarbon gel and the abrasive grains.
The abrasive required for this experimentation has essen-
tially to be magnetic in nature. In this study, an abrasive
called Brown Super Emery (trade name), supplied by an
Indian company, was used. It contains 40% ferromag-
netic constituents, 45% Al2O3 and 15% Si2O3.
3. Modelling
3.1. Process parameters
Following process parameters were hypothesised to
influence the performance of MAFM:
1. flow rate (volume) of the medium;
2. magnetic flux density;
3. number of cycles;
4. extrusion pressure;
5. viscosity of the medium;
6. grain size and concentration of the abrasive;
7. workpiece material;
8. flow volume of the medium; and
9. reduction ratio.
 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959 955

Fig. 1. Schematic illustration of the magneto abrasive flow machining process: 1, cylinder containing medim; 2, flange; 3, nylon fixture; 4,
workpiece; 5, eye bolt; 6, hydraulic press; 7, auxiliary cylinder; 8, modular relief valve; 9, piston of hydraulic press; 10, directional control valve;
11 & 12, manifold blocks; 13, electromagnet.

3.2. Design of experiments

Table 1 With the help of experimental design, the effect of

Specification of the electromagnet process variables on the output of the process and their
interaction effects have been determined within a speci-
Pole and yoke material M. S. 0.25% C fied range of parameters. It is possible to represent inde-
Each pole size 35 mm diameter pendent process parameters in quantitative form as:
Coil Copper wire, ⭋ 1.21 mm, 1500 turns
Power supply 0–50 V, 0–5A Y ⫽ f(X1,X2,X3,…,Xn) ± e,
Maximum flux density 0.9 T at 3.5 A
where Y is the response (yield), f is the response func-
956 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959
tion, e is the experimental error, and X1,X2,X3,…,Xn are
independent parameters.
The mathematical form of f can be approximated by
a polynomial. The dependent variable is viewed as a sur-
face to which the mathematical model is fitted. In this
work, a second-order polynomial was selected for
developing the empirical model relating the response
surface and independent parameters, as shown below:
冘 冘 冘
k k k
Y ⫽ b0 ⫹ bixi ⫹ biix2i ⫹ bijxixj.
i⫽1 i⫽1 i⬍j⫽2
Twenty experiments were conducted at stipulated con-
ditions based upon response surface methodology
(RSM), the procedure for which is outlined in [24]. A
central component rotatable design for three parameters
was employed. The magnetic flux density, medium flow
rate and number of cycles were selected as independent
variables. The reason for choosing these variables for
the model was that they could be easily varied up to
five levels. MR and percentage improvement in surface
roughness value (⌬Ra) were taken as the response para-
meters. Cylindrical workpieces made of brass were
chosen as the experimental specimen. The size of the
specimen, shown in Fig. 2, was based on the guidelines
given in [10]. An electronic balance (Metler, LC 0.1 mg)
and a perthometer (Mahr, M2) were employed for the
measurements of MR and surface roughness, respect-
ively. The roughness was measured in the direction of
flow of the medium. The experimental specimens were
chosen from a large set of specimens in such a way that
selected specimens had inherent variation in their initial
surface roughness values in a narrow range. It was not
possible to remove this variability completely; therefore
percentage improvement in surface roughness (⌬Ra) has
been taken as the response parameter. The roughness
values were taken by averaging the readings at several
points on the surface. Independent parameters along with
their coded and real levels and constant parameters are
given in Table 2.
Fig. 2. The workpiece.
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Effect of parameters on response
The response equations for MR and ⌬Ra obtained
from the experimental data are as follows:
MR ⫽ ⫺31.72 ⫹ 42.89A ⫹ 0.144B ⫹ 7.57C
⫹ 49.19A2⫺0.000115B2⫺0.352C2⫺0.0738AB
and
⌬Ra ⫽ ⫺57.77 ⫹ 111A ⫹ 0.214B ⫹ 10.27C
⫺0.000156B2⫺0.547C2⫺0.164AB.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the simultaneous effect of mag-
netic flux density and medium flow rate on MR and ⌬Ra,
respectively, at a constant number of cycles. The
response surfaces for ⌬Ra and MR obtained by the vari-
ation of the magnetic field and number of cycles at a
constant medium flow rate are shown in Figs. 5 and 6,
respectively. From these figures it can be observed that
material removal and percentage improvement in surface
roughness both increase with the increase in applied
magnetic flux density. The effect of magnetic field is
typically more prominent beyond a magnetic flux density
of 0.2 T. The simultaneous increase in MR and ⌬Ra indi-
cates a unique behaviour of AFM when compared with
other machining processes. This result supports the find-
ings reported in [6]. One possible reason could be that,
in AFM, the material removal takes place first from hills
or peaks of the surface profile. More material removal
produces a smoother surface. In other words, the more
material removal the smaller is the height of hills on the
surface, and hence the lesser is the roughness of the sur-
face. This holds good until all of the high hills are
removed and quite a smooth surface is produced. It is
also clear from the trend of the surface obtained in Figs.
3 and 4 that the magnetic field interacts with the medium
flow rate in both the material removal and surface rough-
ness results. At higher flow rates, the effect of the mag-
netic field appears to be less than that at lower flow rates.
This is probably due the fact that, at lower medium flow
rate, the abrasive particles are attracted to the surface by
the magnetic field for a longer period, resulting in a
greater concentration on the workpiece walls. On the
other hand, the abrasive particles may not get attracted
out to the wall by the magnetic field when the medium
is moving fast. Further, the fast-moving medium takes
the abrasives out of the influence of the magnetic field
before they are able to strike the surface, and hence the
magnetic field becomes somewhat ineffective at high
medium flow rate with regard to its utility to enhance
MR.
Figs. 5 and 6 indicate that whereas the material
removal continues to improve with increase in magnetic
field, ⌬Ra appears to start stabilising at higher densities
 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959 957

Table 2
Levels of independent parameters

Parameter Symbol Level

⫺2 ⫺1 0 1 2

Magnetic flux density (T) A 0 0.18 0.38 0.6 0.75

Volume flow rate (cm3/min) B 260 383 467 551 674
Number of cycles C 2 4 6 8 10
Medium flow volume 250 cm3
Abrasive grit size 355 µm (80%)+53 µm (20%)
Abrasive concentration 100% by weight
Reduction ratio 0.9

Fig. 6. Effect of number of cycles and magnetic flux density on MR

Fig. 3. Effect of magnetic flux density and medium flow rate on MR
(number of cycles: 6).
Fig. 4. Effect of magnetic flux density and medium flow rate on ⌬Ra
(number of cycles: 6).
Fig. 5. Effect of number of cycles and magnetic flux density on ⌬Ra
(medium flow rate: 467 cm3/min).
(medium flow rate: 467 cm3/min).
of magnetic field. This type of trend may be noted from
Fig. 6 also, where the ⌬Ra is getting stabilised especially
at higher medium flow rate. This result further confirms
the material removal mechanism (from peaks) of this
process discussed earlier. However, further work is
being undertaken to find the upper limit of magnetic field
that is effective for enhancement of both MR and ⌬Ra
as a function of medium flow rate. It is expected that
once all of the peaks are removed from the surface, the
enhanced MR due to applied magnetic field may not
further improve the surface roughness.
In Figs. 7 and 8, the variation of MR and ⌬Ra with
medium flow rate and number of cycles is depicted in
the case of keeping the applied magnetic field constant.
The effect of medium flow rate on MR and ⌬Ra for any
number of cycles remains insignificant. These findings
do not match those reported in [13], where, with increase
in medium flow rate, the material removal and improve-
ment in surface roughness increase. This is probably due
to the different range of media in the two flow rates used
in the two studies. However, the findings of the present
study confirm the reported results of Williams and Rajur-
kar [6] in that the effect of medium flow rate on MR is
insignificant; almost the same ranges of medium flow
rates were employed in the two studies.
Figs. 7 and 8 show that the rate of abrasion is greater
during the initial few cycles, after which it slows down.
This is a consequence of the fact that, initially, the total
958 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959
Fig. 7. Effect of medium flow rate and number of cycles on MR
(magnetic flux density: 0.38 T).
Fig. 8. Effect of medium flow rate and number of cycles on ⌬Ra
(magnetic flux density: 0.38 T).
peaks available upon the surface of the workpiece are
more. The greater the number of peaks, the more will
be the material removal. However, as the surface is sub-
jected to repeated cycles, the number of peaks and their
heights continue decreasing, and hence the material
removal declines after a few cycles.
4.2. Mechanism of material removal
Several theories [25–27] have been put forward to
explain the mechanism of abrasion by abrasive particles.
Solid particle erosion proposed by Finnie [25] can be
considered as the basic mechanism of material removal
in AFM with some modifications. In abrasive jet mach-
ining the energy of the striking abrasive particle is
imparted by the high speed of the medium stream, but
in AFM the required energy to the abrasive particles is
provided by high pressure acting on the viscoelastic car-
rier medium. The medium dilates and the abrasive par-
ticles come under a high level of strain due to the press-
ure acting in the restriction. The momentum that abrasive
particles acquire due to these conditions can be con-
sidered to be responsible for microploughing and
microchipping of the surface in contact with the abras-
ive. Microploughing causes plastic deformation on the
surface of the metal. Initially no material removal takes
place. However, the surface atoms become more vulner-
able to removal by subsequent abrasive grains. More
abrasive particles attack the surface repeatedly, which
causes the detachment of material often referred to as
‘cutting wear’.
When a strong magnetic field is applied around the
workpiece, the flowing abrasive particles (which must
essentially be magnetic in nature) experience a sideways
pull that causes a deflection in their path of movement
to get them to impinge on to the work surface with a
small angle, thereby resulting in microchipping of the
surface. The magnetic field is also expected to affect the
abrasive distribution pattern at the machining surface of
the workpiece. The particles that otherwise would have
passed without striking the surface now change their
path and take an active part in the abrasion process, thus
causing an enhancement in material removal. It is to be
mentioned here that although the mechanical pull gener-
ated by the magnetic field is small, it is sufficient to
deflect the abrasive particles, which are already moving
at considerable speed. Therefore it appears that, by virtue
of the application of the magnetic field, more abrasive
particles strike the surface. Simultaneously, some of
them impinge on the surface at small angles, resulting
in an increased amount of cutting wear and thereby giv-
ing rise to an overall enhancement of material removal
rate.
5. Conclusions
A magnetic field has been applied around a compo-
nent being processed by abrasive flow machining and an
enhanced rate of material removal has been achieved.
Empirical modelling with the help of response surface
methodology has led to the following conclusions about
the variation of response parameters in terms of inde-
pendent parameters within the specified range.
1. Magnetic field significantly affects both MR and ⌬Ra.
The slope of the curve indicates that MR increases
with magnetic field more than does ⌬Ra. Therefore,
more improvement in MR is expected at still higher
values of magnetic field.
2. For a given number of cycles, there is a discernible
improvement in MR and surface roughness. Fewer
cycles are required for removing the same amount of
material from the component, if processed in the mag-
netic field.
3. Magnetic field and medium flow rate interact with
each other. The combination of low flow rates and
high magnetic flux density yields more MR and
smaller ⌬Ra.
 S. Singh, H.S. Shan / International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture 42 (2002) 953–959
4. Medium flow rate does not have a significant effect
on MR and ⌬Ra in the presence of a magnetic field.
5. MR and ⌬Ra both level off after a certain number
of cycles.
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