Surface interactions in steel polishing for the precision tool making

The polishing of steel becomes more and more important due to the increasing qualitative demands on the surface finish of tools and dies. But despite many research activities in the recent years, the polishing process is still characterized by a poor knowledge of the relevant mechanisms. Especially the complex interactions among the system components cannot be sufficiently described, yet. In this paper, the relevant interactions between the polishing abrasive and the steel surface are discussed. Starting from a phenomenological view on the removal behaviour of different steel alloys, a model for the wear resistance of the steel surface is presented. It shows that next to the hardness of the material particularly the mechanisms of micro-ploughing and micro-cutting determine the removal behaviour. Furthermore, the influence of the workpiece material on the removal rates is discussed.