The surface-normal impact velocity distributions, impact frequencies and impact power per unit area were measured using a force sensor in a vibratory finisher for two types of spherical media. These parameters control the degree, rate and character of plastic deformation of a workpiece surface in vibratory finishing. The force sensor was also used to quantify the effect of media type, finisher amplitude, and location within the finisher on the probability distribution of the particle impact velocity normal to the workpiece. It was found that reducing the total media mass in the finisher and moving closer to the wall resulted in a more aggressive process. It was also found that contacts occured periodically within time periods that corresponded to the finisher’s driving frequency. The Almen system was adapted to a vibratory finishing process to characterize the effect of varying process parameters for the purposes of process development and control. Saturation curves for two types of aluminum Almen strips were obtained by finishing at two distinct conditions. Comparison with the normal contact forces and effective impact velocities, measured for both these conditions, provided insight into the mechanics of the vibratory finishing process. An electromagnetic apparatus was constructed to simulate the normal impacts in the vibratory finisher. It was found that surface-normal impacts at velocities comparable to the higher range in the vibratory finisher produced Almen saturation curves similar to those created in the vibratory finisher. This provided support for the modeling approximation of treating all contact events in a vibratory finisher as effective surface-normal impacts, and the accuracy of the effective impact velocity measurement. A model of the process by which Almen strips were plastically deformed by media impacts in vibratory finishing was presented. The motivation was to extend the use of Almen strip measurements as a means of characterizing vibratory finishing through an improved understanding of the process parameters that controlled time-dependent curvature development. Two thicknesses of Almen strip were tested for two finishing conditions. The quantitative agreement between the model saturation curves and the experimental curves was fair, although the overall trends were predicted very well.

The surface-normal impact velocity distributions, impact frequencies and impact power per unit area were measured using a force sensor in a vibratory finisher for two types of spherical media. These parameters control the degree, rate and character of plastic deformation of a workpiece surface in vibratory finishing. The force sensor was also used to quantify the effect of media type, finisher amplitude, and location within the finisher on the probability distribution of the particle impact velocity normal to the workpiece. It was found that reducing the total media mass in the finisher and moving closer to the wall resulted in a more aggressive process. It was also found that contacts occured periodically within time periods that corresponded to the finisher’s driving frequency. The Almen system was adapted to a vibratory finishing process to characterize the effect of varying process parameters for the purposes of process development and control. Saturation curves for two types of aluminum Almen strips were obtained by finishing at two distinct conditions. Comparison with the normal contact forces and effective impact velocities, measured for both these conditions, provided insight into the mechanics of the vibratory finishing process. An electromagnetic apparatus was constructed to simulate the normal impacts in the vibratory finisher. It was found that surface-normal impacts at velocities comparable to the higher range in the vibratory finisher produced Almen saturation curves similar to those created in the vibratory finisher. This provided support for the modeling approximation of treating all contact events in a vibratory finisher as effective surface-normal impacts, and the accuracy of the effective impact velocity measurement. A model of the process by which Almen strips were plastically deformed by media impacts in vibratory finishing was presented. The motivation was to extend the use of Almen strip measurements as a means of characterizing vibratory finishing through an improved understanding of the process parameters that controlled time-dependent curvature development. Two thicknesses of Almen strip were tested for two finishing conditions. The quantitative agreement between the model saturation curves and the experimental curves was fair, although the overall trends were predicted very well.