A mixed fluid film lubrication model to predict the tool-life of IBAP tool considering abrasive and molten water interaction with workpiece

Ice bonded abrasive polishing (IBAP) is a self-lubricating and self-sharpening process carried out in lowtemperature environments, creating favorable conditions for polishing temperature-sensitive materials. In this process, low melting rate of ice in the tool, restricts self-sharpening process, whereas the faster melting rate causes rapid tool wear. To retain both self-lubricating and self-sharpening properties of the tool, maintaining a mixed lubrication regime at the interface of the IBAP tool and workpiece is essential. This regime can be realised through a suitable choice of process parameters. The present work attempts to develop a numerical model that can predict the melting rate of ice matrix from the distribution of temperatures at the tool and work interface. For predicting the interface temperatures, the phenomena such as abrasion, tribological, and thermal effects are considered and the same phenomena are represented using the theories of contact mechanics, material failure, fluidic interaction, and surface generation. With the predicted interface temperatures, the melting rate of ice matrix and the reduction of tool height are estimated thus predicting the life of IBAP tool. The predicted results are compared with the experimental data to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model over the earlier model (Nayak and Babu, 2020).