Abstract: A new deterministic precision polishing technology of magnetic-assisted jet stabilization, magnetorheological jet polishing (MJP), is introduced. In MJP, the jet of magnetorheological (MR) fluid containing abrasives is magnetized by an external local axial magnetic field and becomes a collimated and coherent hard jet, which can polish the surface placed at a relatively far distance in a deterministic process. The mechanism of MJP is introduced. The forming of collimated MR jet is analyzed qualitatively. A series of experiments are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility to polishing steep concave shapes. And the experiment to remove waveness by MJP is also done. The optimization of material removal function is investigated on the basis of the principles of computer controlled optical surfacing (CCOS). The experimental results show that the collimated jet of MR fluid is insensitive to the offset distance and MJP can provide potential advantages to polishing steep concaves and parts with a variety of cavities in a deterministic process.

Key words: Collimated jet, Magnetorheological jet polishing, Removal function optimization, Steep concave part