Abstract
In general, mechanical polishing of high speed steel involves more difficulties than that of other steels, because of its high hardness. Therefore, it would be very convenient, if electropolishing could serve to substitute the mechanical polishing. However, as tangsten and its double carbide contained in high speed steel have excellent incorrosible property, it is very difficult to obtain smooth surface of this steel from phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid bath conventionally used in electropolishing.
Then, the relation between the qualities of the said steel and electropolishing conditions was studied.
A few considerations on electropolishing conditions of nitric acid and nitric acid-fluoric acid bathes for heat treated high speed steel are as follow;
1) With the quality of the high speed steel nitric acid could be applied to its electropolishing bath as the main constituents.
2) Polishing ability of nitric acid bath is improved by addition of fluoric acid and oxalic acid.
3) Polishing effect depends upon the heat treatment and processing of high speed steel. As in the case of quenching, the more homogeneous is the structure, the easier is the electropolishing.
