CFD modelling of a novel hydrodynamic suspension polishing process for ultra-smooth surface with low residual stress

A novel hydrodynamic suspension polishing (HSP) method was presented in this paper and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based model has been numerically developed to explore the particle impact velocities and impact angles near the target surface induced by the rotation of the designed polishing plate. This developed CFD model was then verified using a particle image velocimetry system to measure the particle velocities in the detected line and it is found that the model predictions are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results under different operating parameters considered in this study. By analysing the distribution of the particle impact velocities and impact angles in the hydrodynamic pressure stable zone, the optimized fixing position of the workpiece in the polishing plate was determined in order to improve the polishing efficiency and guarantee the polishing quality. The effect of the HSP process on the residual stress of the target surface was finally numerically and experimentally investigated. It is found that the residual stress on the whole target surface can be significantly reduced after the HSP process and its uniformity is good as well. [Display omitted] •A novel hydrodynamic suspension polishing (HSP) technique was presented.•CFD-based model was developed to explore the particle impact trajectory during HSP process.•A particle image velocimetry system was used to verify the developed model.•Target surface residual stress was significantly reduced after the HSP process.