The effect of lubrication conditions on belt finishing

The belt finishing process is a recent manufacturing technique in the field of superfinishing of hard material. Belt finishing leads to an homogenous surface with a very smooth surface roughness and good bearing curve parameters. In this way, belt finishing can complement effectively hard turning, whose disability is the shifting of the surface quality due to tool flank wear. In order to study the effect and the interaction of lubrications conditions on belt finishing after hard turning, an experimental study is proposed. The interaction between lubrications conditions and belt feed and the effect on roughness parameters has been investigated. It was shown that minimum quantity lubrication with low belt feed is the best way to have the optimal roughness characteristics. Under these conditions, the process is not a basic belt finishing operation but a combination of belt finishing and lapping due to the presence of a slurry made of free abrasive grains, microchips and oil, in the contact. Additionally, it has been revealed that dry belt finishing is not suitable because of the rapid destruction of abrasive grains.