Material removal investigation in bonnet polishing of CoCr alloy

The manufacture of orthopaedic joint bearings surfaces requires exceptionally high levels of control of not only the surface finish but also the surface form. In the case of hip joints, the form of femoral head should be controlled to within ± 50ìm from a given diameter. It has been shown that a better form control of bearing component could enhance clearances creating the correct volume of lubrication to fill the bearing surface gap and reduce wear particle generation. This element is especially critical for the new generation non-spherical head designs. Bonnet polishing which is used successfully in the area of optics is potentially an excellent finishing process to control the form and finish of artificial joints. In the process of form control polishing an “influence function” which defines the material removal rate is of vital importance in developing a corrective polishing procedure. However, the effects of polishing parameters (such as precess angle, head speed, tool pressure and tool offset) on influence function are not very clear for CoCr alloys. These elements must be assessed if a deterministic polishing process is to be developed. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to understand the contribution of each polishing factors to influence function and consequent part polishing. This study has investigated the effects of polishing parameters on influence function, including geometric size and volumetric material removal rate (MRR). The
experimental results indicate that the polishing parameter of precess angle and tool offset affect the geometric size of influence function significantly; the polishing parameter of head speed and tool pressure affect the geometric size of influence function to a lesser degree; the polishing parameter of precess angle, head speed and tool offset affect MRR greatly.