On the removal of material along a polishing path by fixed abrasives

Abstract Material is removed when a surface is polished. This paper presents a model of the removal of material along a polishing path when a surface is polished by fixed abrasives. The proposed model assumes that the pressure distribution is Hertzian at the contact between the tool and the surface and the abrading rate follows the Archard wear law. According to the model, the profile of material removal is parabolic, and the depth and width of the profile may depend on the tool orientation. Polishing experiments are presented for the validation of the proposed model. Examples are also given to illustrate the applications of the model.