Development of Magnetorheological Fluid Based Flexible Work Holding Fixture

Surface roughness measurement of a complex geometry has been one of the challenging tasks of a precision component manufacturing industry. Holding such components of complex and irregular geometry in conventional methods is difficult and sometimes impossible too. In this context, flexible work holding fixtures may come to the rescue of users to hold the component in a desired position and orientation with respect to the measuring device. In the present work, a flexible work holding fixture using Magnetorheological (MR) fluid has been proposed. This fixture is capable of holding all regular, irregular and complex shaped components of any material and constrains all degrees of freedom (DOF), during measurement. A mathematical model has also been developed to evaluate the holding strength of the MR fluid, based on the various forces acting on the component while holding. The efficiency of proposed device/method was demonsfrated to hold the component during surface roughness measurement and then measuring time was determined to compare with conventional one.