Experimental investigation and analytical modelling of the effects of process parameters on material removal rate for bonnet polishing of cobalt chrome alloy

Cobalt chrome alloys are the most extensively used material in the field of total hip and total knee implants, both of which need highly accurate form and low surface roughness for longevity in vivo. In order to achieve the desired form, it is extremely important to understand how process parameters of the final finishing process affect the material removal rate. This paper reports a modified Preston equation model combining process parameters to allow prediction of the material removal rate during bonnet polishing of a medical grade cobalt chrome alloy. The model created is based on experiments which were carried out on a bonnet polishing machine to investigate the effects of process parameters, including precess angle, head speed, tool offset and tool pressure, on material removal rate. The characteristic of material removal is termed influence function and assessed in terms of width, maximal depth and material removal rate. Experimental results show that the width of the influence function increases significantly with the increase of the precess angle and the tool offset; the depth of the influence function increases with the increase of the head speed, increases first and then decrease with the increase of the tool offset; the material removal rate increases with the increase of the precess angle non-linearly, with the increase of the head speed linearly, and increases first then decreases with the increase of the tool offset because of the bonnet distortion; the tool pressure has a slight effect on the influence function. The proposed model has been verified experimentally by using different Preston coefficients from literature. The close values of the experimental data and predicted data indicate that the model is viable when applied to the prediction of the material removal rate in bonnet polishing.