Preparation of magnetic abrasives by mechanical alloying and its finishing properties

Experimental results on magnetic abrasive polishing of a mold surface showed that an SiC whisker--Fe magnetic abrasive,newly fabricated by mechanical alloying, was superior to SiC powder--Fe, NbC powder--Fe, diamond--Fe, or Al sub 2 O sub 3 powder--Fe magnetic abrasives. The as-machined surface roughness value of 2.5 mu m R sub max or 0.2 mu mR sub a decreased to a finished value of 0.2 mu mR sub max or 0.06 mu m R sub a respectively after 10 h of milling time using 6.5 vol.% SiC whisker--Fe magnetic abrasive.