Enhancement of Magnetic Flux Density Using a Novel Electromagnets Configurations in Belt-Type Magnetorheological Finishing Setup

A novel belt and pulley type setup for magnetorheological finishing (MRF) has been designed to overcome the complication of the limited finishing spot while surface finishing of the workpiece using the conventional MRF process. It requires large number of finishing cycles in the traditional MRF process to finish a large-sized workpiece which ultimately results in the increment of the finishing time. The belt-type magnetorheological finishing setup consists of a flexible belt that rotates over the two pulleys. The belt runs over a base plate made of ferromagnetic material, which rests upon a set of electromagnets underneath it. Magnetorheological polishing (MRP) fluid stiffened when comes over the magnetized base plate along with the flexible belt. In the present work, a novel electromagnet configuration has been proposed based on the magnetic simulation studies that enhance the magnetic flux density and its distribution on the base plate and hence in the MRP fluid.