Analysis of the surface roughness obtained by the abrasive flow machining process using an abrasive paste with oiticica oil

This work presents an evaluation of a new paste applied to the abrasive flow machining (AFM) process, a paste developed with oiticica oil, from the “Licânia rígida Benth,” originating from Brazil. The application of the paste with vegetable oil will be compared with results obtained by a commercial paste during the application of AFM in medium carbon steel SAE 1045 and aluminum 6061-T6 workpieces in terms of surface roughness (Ra, Rq, and Rz parameters) and number of cycles. A statistical analysis of the data was applied to the surface roughness results through a factorial design, considering a level of significance of 5% and a hypothesis test above 0.90, to validate the experimental tests. Reductions in the surface roughness values were obtained with the paste developed in the machining of steel workpieces, indicating that factors such as work material, number of cycles, and type of abrasive grain can influence the final result of the AFM machining.