Abstract
This paper describes a method of precision abrasion machining for finishing of brittle materials. This method is similar with water jet abrasive machining or liquid honing, but very fine abrasive grains are used to accomplish ductile mode machining with an abrasion rate of a few nanometers per minute and a few nanometers surface roughness. In the experiments, aluminum oxide grains of different sizes 0.3-3.0um were mainly used. The diameter of nozzle was 1mm and the ejecting pressure was 2-6MPa. The distance from the nozzle tip to the surface was 20mm. Work materials were optical glasses and silicon single crystal. A series of fundamental experiments was performed without scanning of the nozzle against the workpiece. The removal spots were oval or circular depending on the collision angles. The depth profile was V- or W-shape. The removal rate and surface roughness depended on all the experimental conditions except machining time. There found several machining conditions suitable for ultraprecision figuring and finishing of brittle materials.
