The efficiency and accuracy of a polishing process are related to the pressure distribution and its variation during the operation. This is especially true when polishing a surface with a complex geometry. The present paper intends to investigate the change of pressure when polishing a spherical surface subjected to small polishing loads on the order of a few Newtons. The analysis was carried out with the aid of a standard finite element code, ABAQUS. The model incorporated two types of elements, the semi-circular three-dimensional 6-node element (IRS3 -C3D6) and the cubic three-dimensional 8-node element (IRS13 -C3D8). The implementation of the numerical procedure involved the treatment of contact interface, the constraint methods and a number of computational issues that are critical to a successful modelling. The results showed that the pressure distribution varies dynamically when the polisher is moving around the spherical surface. Maximum pressure can never reach the edge of the surface and thus material removal rate may well be non-uniform over the surface. Thus to generate a spherical surface with a sufficient accuracy, particular attention must be paid to the design of the kinetics of the polishing system. A digital animation will be provided to show the pressure variation process dynamically.
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