Effect of back pressure on the grinding performance of abrasive suspension flow machining

Abrasive suspension flow machining (ASFM) is an advanced finishing method that uses an abrasive suspension slurry for grinding and chamfering as well as the finishing of inaccessible components. This study examines the effect of back pressure on the grinding characteristics of an abrasive suspension flow during the grinding of slender holes. A numerical model was developed to simulate the abrasive suspension flow in a slender hole and was verified experimentally using injector nozzle grinding equipment under different grinding pressures and back pressures. It is shown that the ASFM with back pressure not only eliminates the cavitation flow in the spray hole, but also increases the number of effective abrasive particles and the flow coefficient. Increasing the back pressure during the grinding process can increase the Reynolds number of the abrasive suspension flow and reduce the thickness of the boundary layer in the slender hole. Moreover, increasing the back pressure can improve the flow rate of the injector nozzle and its grinding performance.