Experimental investigations on magneto rheological abrasive flow finishing of aisi stainless steel 316l and its effects on biocompatibility

Abstract

The recent increase in demand for components that satisfy functional and technological requirements both in engineering and medical applications has given rise to the development of complex geometrical shapes with closeness to tolerance and fine surface quality. In general, surface roughness of a material at micro/ nano level plays a major role in enhancing its functional characteristics such as endurance limit, wear resistance and corrosion resistance etc. If it is a biomaterial like AISI stainless steel 316L, the attributes relating to biocompatibility such as cytotoxicity (cell viability,cell proliferation), protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion depend highly and precisely over surface finish of the material. One of the advanced machining processes developed for filling the needs of this kind is Magneto Rheological Abrasive Flow Finishing (MRAFF). It utilizes a smart fluid called Magneto Rheological Polishing (MRP) fluid for the metal removal process. The rheological behaviour of MRP fluid can be effectively controlled by means of external magnetic field and it plays a major role in deciding the final surface finish of the finishing process. In order to have experimental investigation on MRAFF process and to study its effects on biocompatibility, AISI stainless steel 316L was selected as the work piece material since its applications are wider in the field of biomedical implants. Bioimplant denotes a prosthesis made of biosynthetic material which is used for replacing, supporting or enhancing a failing newlinestructure of a living organism. Biocompatibility is a general term that refers to the property or ability of a material being compatible with living tissues without producing any harmful or immunological reaction when exposed to the body or bodily fluids. In this present work, an experimental setup for MRAFF process has been designed and fabricated which is partially a replica of a setup developed by Jha and Jain, 2004.