~ .~/" ~:+~.

--

I,~. +

WEAR
ELSEVIER Wear 215 ~ IotAS) 267-278

On the finishing of Si3N4balls for bearing applications

Ming Jiang, R. Komanduri *
Me~'hunil'al uml Ae,rcrsp.~'e l~:n.g,meering. Okk~htumt .Vrule Univt,~sitv. Slillw~tter. OK 7407,~. USA
Received 8 January lt./~)7: accepted :g Sepleml'~r 1~)97

Abstract

The conventional meth~al of prcalucing of Si,N+, balls fiw bearing applications by grinding and lapping using diarmmd abrasive at low
speeds ( < it few hundred rpm) and higher hr,als ~several tens of N/ball ) is generally an expensive and time-consuming (q~cration ( ~verai
weeks ). It also leads to the formation of .~ralchcs. micr~:racks, and pits on the finished balls resulting from large radial and circumferemial
cracks and diskglgemem of grains. Since failure of ceramics initiates from such defects, the reliability of Si4Nz balls in service is of taime
concern. This paper deals with an ahemate technology lot finishing Si ~N.,balls for hybrid bearing applications using magnetic float polishing
( M FP ) process that overcomes some of the.~ limitations. A methtRlology fiw finishing of HtP'ed Si +N4 halls from the as-received comlition
by MFP is presented. It involves Ihe mechanical rermwal of material initially using harder a~asives with respect to the workmaterial (of
differenl materials of progressively lower harducsses and finer grain sizes) lol[owed by final cbena~mechanical polishing {CMPl using
preferably a softer abrasive filr obtaining superior :inish wilh minimal surface or subsurface defects, such as .~ratcbes. micro~racks. ~r pins
on the Si ,N~ balls. High material removal rates ( I ~ m / m i n ) with minimal subsurface damage is obtained with harder a~asives, such as B+C
ar SiC ( relalive Io Si ,N 4 ) due Io tile use of a flexible support system, small I~dishing loads ( = I N/ball ). and fine abrasives but high polishing
speeds ( compared Io conventional polishing ) by rapid accumulalion of minute aFramnts of material removed by microfracture. Final I~+lishing
of the Si ~N.~balls using a sol~er abrasive+ such as CeO: ( thai chemtb-mchanically rcacl with the SigN4 wt~kmaterial ) results in high quality
Si ~N+ balls of bearing quality with superior surface finish ( R, < 4 nm. R, < l).04 t~m ) and damage-free surf~e. It is fimnd thai CMP is very
effective fiw obtaining excellent surface finish ( R, ~ 4 nm and Rt = 41) nm ) on Si ,N+ ceramic material and CeO: in particular is one of most
suitable material l'~r this application. 1'~)8 Elsevier Science S.A.

Ko',ords: Magnetic Ihml [a~lishing: Finishing of ceramic balls: Silicon nitri&': Chemo-mcchanicat [adishing <CMPg: Cerium t~xide

I. I n t r o d u c t i o n as a polishing medium. In practice, it takes considerable time

A critical factor affecting the performance and reliability
o f ceramics for bearing applications is the quality o f the
resulting surface by polishing. It is well known that ceramics
are extremely sensitive to surfi+ce detects resulting from
grinding and polishing processes owing to their high hardness
and inherent brittleness. Since fatigue failure of ceramics is
driven by surface imperfections, it is paramount that the qual-
ity and finish of the ceramic bearing elements be superior
with minimal defects so that reliability in performance of
bearings in service can be achieved. This investigation
focuses on the methodology fi)r obtaining superior finish on
Si+~N: balls using magnclic float polishing ( MFP} pr~ucess.
Conventional polishing of ceramic balls generally uses low
tx~lishing speeds ( a few hundred rpm ) and d i a m o n d abn~sive
* ('orrespamdiug author. O k l a h t , n a Stale Univernity. Mechanical and
Aerospace l-ng.. 218 Engineering N~+rlh. Slillwatur. OK 74078. USA.
Tel.: + I-IIlO-I-4()5-744-5t.gXh fax: + I-(Hn-l-405-744-5720; e-mail:
ranga(a'nnasler.ceal.okslale.edu
( some 12-16 weeks) to finish a batch of ceramic balls. The
long processing time and u.,~ of expensive diamond abrasive
result in high processing costs, Also. the u ~ of diamond
abrasive at high loads can result in deep pits. ~ratches, and
microcracks, To minimize the surface damage. "gentle" pol-
ishing conditions am required, namely, low level of con-
trolled force and abrasives not much harder than the
workmalerial. Further, higher removal rates and shorter pol-
ishing cycles can be obtained at high polishing speeds. This
is accomplished in this investigation by a process k n o w n as
magnetic float polishing. This process was originally devel-
oped by Tani and Kawata { I I and s u h ~ q u e n t l y improved
significantly using the concept o f a float by Umehara and
Kato 12 I. Umehara 13 I. Childs and Yoon [41. Childs et al.
1.5-7 I. and Raghunandan et al. [ 8.9 I.
W h e n polishing advanced ceramics, such as SigN4 balls by
M F P with a harder abrasive, such as B.,C or SiC. high material
removal rates ( I # m / r a i n ) can he obtained with minimal
subsurface damage due to the u ~ of a flexible support system.

O(M3.16JS/t)8/$ttj.|N) ~t5 It,~J8 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reseD.cd

PIISnn43- ! 648! 97 ~OO236-6
268 M. Jitmg. R. Kommuluri/ Wear 215 (199812fi7-27,~

small polishing force ( I N/ball). fine abrasives hut high

V ....
polishing speed compared to conventional polishing. Higher
material pemoval results from the rapid accumulation of min-
ute amounts of material by microfracture of ShNa becau.~e of
high polishing speeds and light loads used instead of large
radial and circumferential cracks that results in the formation Jl
i t i Spindle

of pits in conven'.ional poli.~hing. As will be shown, the linal

polishing of the Si3N.~ balls with a softer abrasive, such as Shaft
CeO: results in superior surface finish (R,, < 4 nm, R, < (I.04 - i -,
/~m) with damage-l~e surface due to preferential removal .... G u i d e Ring
of material by chemo-mechanical polishing (CMP). it is
found that CMP is very effective in obtaining excellent sur- ...... Magnetic Raid
and Abrasives
face linish on Si.~N4 workmalerial and that CeO, is one of
R u b b e r Ring
most effective polishing media lot this application.
.... C e r a m i c Ball
-- Float

2. Magnetic float polishing and experimental ~t-up N S N S N S -- Aluminum Base

..... Magnet
The magnetic float polishing technique is based on the
Steel Y o k e
magneto-hydrodynamic behavior of a magnetic fluid that can
(a)
flout non-magnetic float and abrasives suspended in it by a
magnetic lield [ I0]. The forces applied by the abrasive to
the part are extremely small ( I N/hall) and highly control-
lable. Fig. I a and b are a schematic and a photograph of the
magnetic float polishing apparatus fi~r linishing advanced
ceramic balls. A bank of permanent magnets ( Nd-Fe-B ) are
arranged alternate N and S below an aluminum chamber
which is lilled with the required amount of magnetic fluid
and appropriate abrasive ( 5 - IOC;~by volume). The magnetic
fluid is a colloidal dispersion of extremely line ( 100 to 150
A) subdomain I~'rromagnetic panicles, usually magnetite
( Fe,O4 ). in a carrier fluid, such as water or kerosene. It is
made stable against particle agglomeration by coating the
panicles with an appropriate suffactant. In this investigation
a water ba.~ ti:rrofluid is u.~d.
When a magnetic tield is apptied, the magnetic particles in
the magnetic fluid are attracted downward to the area of
higher magnetic field and an upward buoyant force is exerted
on all non-magnetic materials to push them to the area of
lower magnetic lield. The abrasive grains, the ceramic hall.,,,
and the acrylic float inside the chamber, all being non-mag-
netic materials, are levitated by the magnetic buoyant force,
The drive shaft is fed down to contact with the halls ( 3-point
contact ) and presse.s them d o g n to reach thu desired fiwce t~r
height. The balls are polished by the abrasive grains under
ihe action of the magnetic buoyancy levitational force when I:~g.. I~ ( a l The schematicplot of the magneticfloatladishing (MFP) appa-
the spindle rotates. Damage-freesurface on CeRlmic balls arc mlu-. used t'~rla~lishirlg Si ~N~bails. (b) Ph,~tographof the magnetic Ih~at
expected by the magnetic float polishing technique ~cause i~.~lishmg ! MFP) apparatusused I'-r I~lb,hing Si,N, b;llls.
the magnetic buoyant force ( [ N/hall) is applied via the
flexible float. The function of aco/lic Iloat here b, Io produce 3. Chem~mechanical polishing
more uni form and larger polishing pressure ( the larger brady-
ant Iorcc near the magtaetic po|cs can Ix- transmitted to the Chemo-mechanical action depends on the availability for
l'adi',hing area by this float I. An urethane rubber sheet is glued a ,~hort duration certain threshold pressure and temperature
to the inner guide ring to protect it thm~ wear. The material at the contact zone of the polishing prc~:ess to enable a chem-
of the drive shaft is austeniti stainless steel which is non- ical reaclion layer to be formed by the interaction o f the
magnetic. abrasive, workmaterial and the environmenl I I I I . This pr~-
 M. ./tang. R. Kom,m, hlri l W e a r 215 f lg~,Sj 2h7-27~
ess is considered tribochemical polishing when there is no
superimposed mechanical action [12l. Thus, chemo--
mechanical action is very specific and proper choice of the
abrasive and the environment should be made for a given
workmaterial. Both thermodynamics and kinetics play an
important role on the rates of chemical reactions. Once the
reaction products are formed, it is removed from the work-
material by subsequent mechanical action by the abrasive.
Since material removal by this mechanism does not depend
on the hardness but on the chemical potentials, it is possible
to remove material by abrasives substantially softer than the
workmaterial. Theoretically any abrasive that can react with
the workmateri:d in a given environment and fi~rm a reaction
product can he used for CMP. However. some abrasives may
be harder than the workmaterial and some mechanical action
may occur in addition to the chemic-mechanical action. Mate-
rial removal by mechanical action may be satisfactory in
roughing, or even semi-finishing but in the final finishing
operation it is preferable to minimize the mechanical action
that can affect the surface integrity. This is the reason why
diamond abrasive was not considered in this investigation fi,r
linishing Si~N.~ balls. Similarly. some abrasives react with a
given workmaterial much more than others. For efficient
removal of material, those with the highest reactions rates
would he preferable Ik~rchemo-mechanical action. Some idea
on this can be obtained by considering the chemical reactions
involved using thermiMynamic analysis, such as Gibbs free
energy of formation.
A review of literature on chem(~mechanical polishing of
various materials in general and that of Si,Na in particular
has been presented by Komanduri el al. [ [3] and may be
referred to fi)r details. Also, the mechanism of chemic-
mechanical [x~lishing o f SigN4 with Cr_.O~ was reported by
Bhagavatula and Komanduri 114l in that it was shown con-
elusively thai the role of Cr_,O~ was more than that of a mere
catalyst (as rcporled in the literature by other researchers)
and that Cr.O~ does play an active role in the chemical reac-
tion with Si,N., forming chromium silicate and chromium
nitride. This was shown by examination of the wear debris in
the SEM ( both the secondary electron images and the energy
dispersion X-ray analysis) as well as X-diffraction of the
wear debris using a low-angle X-ray diffraction equipment.
In this investigation, this work is exte,zded to investigate the
action of CeOz abrasive for CMP of St,N4. It is fimnd that
CoO: to be a superior abrasive than Cr:O, in linishing Si,N~
workmaterial, in that the finish obtained by Cr_.O, is ahout
IO.7 nm R,, and O. 149 # m R, Fig. 4b). while that with CcOz
is about 3.8 nm R.1 and 0.029 p.m R, I Fig. 5f). as reported in
this investigation. Also. very few scratch marks, if :my. are
round on Si,Nt surface when polished with CeO, even at a
magnilication of 5(XX) to I O.tI(X)with the entire surface being
smooth without any pits. This is attributed to the use of sig-
nificantly sefler CeO., abrasive which will not scratch Si ,N.L
in the final polishing.
Z69
4. Why cerium oxide (CEO..} is abt-,Lsive
It is well known that cerium oxide (CeO:) is an efficient
polishing agent for glass. It is also known that the fluid
medium in which it is used is also very critical. For example.
when polishing glass. CeO: is particularly effective in water
:md in alcohols only when hydroxyl groups are present, Thus,
cerium oxide slurry in water is invariably used for polishing.
The oxide contains poiyvalent cerium atoms. Ce(IV) and
Ce( IlII. which can provide chemical action with the work-
material, it appears thai when Ce( OH )L- i.e.. CeOz. 2HzO is
precipitated fresh, i.e.. in situ. in the polishing slurry form. a
soluble Ce( IV ) salt is probably involved in an equilibrium
reaction:
S i O , + C e l O H ) =~CeO=,+Si(OHI
The breaking and reforming of Si-O bonds is perhaps aided
by the transfer of OH groupings to incipient fracture sites by
a transport mechanism using the relatively large and mobile
c~,~rdination sphere around oxophilic cerium atom [ 15 I.
Cerium is the most abundant element of the .,'are earths and
ranks around 25th in the listing of ahundance in the earth's
crust of all the naturally occurring elements. So. Ce is not
particularly rare as compared to Ni or Cu. Cerium oxide has
a high melting temperature ( 2750 K ~ but is a very soft mate-
rial ( Mohs hardness: 5 - 6 ) and hence cannot .~r-'ttch SigN4.
Ce ions arc present in two stable valence states, namely, the
tetravalent C e " (Ceric) and the trivalent Ce * ' (Cerous).
The tetravalenl eerie ion is a strong oxidizing agent but can
be reduced by ferrous salts, hydrogen peroxide. When as.so-
elated with oxygen, it is completely stable as COO.. Ce_,O~ is
unstable in air. water, and the like and readily converts to
CeO:. Ceria has the CaF_. structure with 8-ctx)rdinate cations
and 4-ct~rdinate anions. It can be visualized as a close-
packed cubic array of metal atoms with oxygen filling all the
tetrahedral holes. Ceria has been tested for acute effects and
found to have very low toxicity 1151. Hence. its u.~ is sate
from an environmental pt,int of view.
Since CeO_, can react cbemo-mcchanically with both SiLN4
base material as well as the glassy pha.~ that holds St,N4
particles together, this material is selected in the investigation
fi)r final chemo-mechanicai polishing.
5. Test procedure, polishing conditkms, and bah
characterization
The uniaxially pressed-SigN., balls (CERBEC NBD-200
from Norton Advanced Ceramics) in the as-received condi-
tion had a nominal diameter of 13.4 ram. T h e ~ balls also
contained nearly a 2(X)/.tm thick 5 mm wide band of mate-
rial around the periphery at the parting plane resulting from
the uniaxiatly pressing (HIP) process. These balls have to be
tinished It) a final size of 12.7 mm (0.5 in.). a sphericity of
0.5/.tin, and best finish achievable. All the three factors were
considered in the finishing of Si,N.L balls in this paper with
270 M. Jiang. R. gt~munduri / We.r 215 ( l~9SI 267-27,~

Table I a b r a s i v e used in this i n v e s t i g a t i o n . A s in m o s t f i n i s h i n g o p e r -

The chemical oml'a+sitionof NBD-2(VOsilicon nitride 1161 ations, there are three stages involved in magnetic float p o l
i sh i n g o f SigN4 balls, n a m e l y : ( I ) r o u g h i n g to r e m o v e as
AI C Ca Fe Mg O Si ,N~
much materM as possible without imparting serious damage
< n.5 _<U.88 ~ O,(M < o. 17 II.t~-1.0 2.3-3.3 97. I-t)4. I to the surface; (2) an intermediate stage of semifinishing
where size, sphericity, and surface roughness have to care-
lully monitored; and (3) final finishing where all three,
Table 2 namely, size. sphericity, and finish have to closely controlled
The n~hani-'dand the:finalpmFrlic~,of Si ,N~workpiccc I 16I
to meet the requirements.
Properly Value Table 4 lists the test conditions used for different stages of
polishing. Two coarser, harder abrasives. B+C ( 500 grit) and
FlexurM ,,trea~th ( M P a ) XIIO SiC (400 grit) ( i.e.. compared ~o St+N4 work material ) were
Welbull mtxtulus 03 used during the initial stages of polishing to reach the desired
Tonsil,: strength I MP'a,~ 4(1<) diameter at high removal rates and at the same time improve
Compressive ~.lrcnglh t GPa ) 3.l)
the sphericity f o r p r o p e r ball motion. After reaching the diam-
Hertz compressive stmnglh ( GPa ~ 28
H:udncss. Hv i I 0 kg ) ( ( ; P a ) 16.6 eter close to the desired diameter, an intermediate ( semifin-
FraClUl~ Iou~hll~.~s. K i , . M N m "' 4, I ishing) stage is utilized as a transition between the roughing
Den.qly ( g / c m ' I 3.16 and finishing stages, as the material removal rate is of prime
E!;zsfic m~Julus I (iPa) 320
concern in the first stage and surfi~ce finish in the final stage.
P(fi~.slm's ralio 0.26
"t'hcrmal expansion c~.'[licicnl a! _?O-I01X)"("t / " C ) 2/J x 10 " The two harder abrasives with a finer grit size were chosen
Thermal ~.'unduciivily at IIX)"C I Wire KI 29 for this intermediate stage, namely. SiC ( 1000 grit) and SiC
Thernml conducfivily at 5(XFC <W / m K | 21.3 ( 1200 grit). During this stage, the removal rates are much
Th~raml conductivily at I[I(RFC ( W h n K I t 5.5 lower and the finish much better than rough ing but the empha-
sis during this stage is the improvement of sphericity, in the
Table 3 final stage (prior to CMP), fine SiC abrasive (8000 grit ) is
"rhc propcaiesof variou,,ahra.~ive> used to approach the required diameter and sphericity and
remove ainu)st all the deep valleys f r o m the surface, This is
Al'~a.,.ive Density Kma~p ['lasli Mehing
followed by final polishing using a softer, theme-mechanical
g/on: ) hardnc~,.
+, mndulu~. I'~fint
I kg/mm: ) +(iPa I ("(") abrasive, namely, CoO, to produce the balls of required diam-
eter. sphericity, and linal ,,,urfac finish which is extremely
BA" 2.52 2l,IOil 450 245(I smooth and almost damage-free by preferentially removing
sit." 3.2 2500 420 241X) the peaks from the surlace.
('o: 7. I 3 625 165 25(~ The polishing shaft in MFP apparatus wasdriven by a high-
speed, high-prcci.,,ion at= b c a d n g sl)indic (1 S p i n d l e ) v, id~
emphasis on the tatter a.~l',cl, namely, i ~ s t finish achievable. a stepless speed regulation up to I 0 . 0 0 0 rpm. T h e magnetic
The large differences in the diameter between the as-received lield was measured by Gauss/Tesla meter. The pH value of
condition to the final size required is to remove all the reaction polishing enviromneul was measured by pH/temperalure
material that is fi)rmed on and near the surface during the meier. The polishing load was set up by measuring the normal
HIP'ing process. fi~rce with a Kistler's piezoelectric dynamometer connected
Tables I and 2 give the nominal chemical composition and to a charge amplilier and a display. To calculate the material
the mechanical properties, respectively of the St.,N+ ( NBD removal rmes, the weight reduction in the balls was measured
2(X)) balls, and Table 3 gives the various properties of the by measuring the weight before and after polishing at every
Table 4

SZ.I~ Abranl~ Abrasive Speed I_nild "l'illl~: RClllarks

I ~,~1/; I I rpn) J ~N/balll Imint
3"H~' Grit sil,e .~Ltc ~pm I

I Bil." ~(XI 17 It)",: 2(XlII 1.0 - Rmtghin~ ~high malcrial run~+.r,'alI

.',;i(" 40n "' ,~ I (],',,: 2,[Jlx~, I .o -
-~ .%i(" I|J[ J~l ~ IlJ + i 2INN) f .() .~() Scmi-lini.,,lfing t sph,:ri,:il,, and rL~u~:hm:s~,)
Sit I "iKI 3 It) +; 2(MN) I .O ,,~O
I:iaal Ihfi.,,hmg [silL'. ,,lflleri~.,ity, and Imi~,h }
('cO: _~ HP .; 21M)<) 1.2 1211

All ~hr~q~c~ u~:d. except ('(}:. ~crc oh, dined Ir~un Norma. ('{): i~ ()blamed froilt Aldrich ('hclmcal~.
 M. Jian.. R. Komanduri / Wear 215 ~/tAt,~ 267-278
stage of the test using a precision balance. The surface finish
of the polished balls was analyzed using a Form TalySurf
120 L. Z Y G O laser interference micro.~ope, a Digital Nano-
scope ill atomic force microscope ( A F M ) , and an ABT 32
scanning electron micro~ope ( SEM ). The roundness of the
halls was measured using TalyRond 250.
In this study, the finished balls h,e characterized for round-
heSS using a TalyRond 2 5 0 (cut-off: St) upr. Filler: 2CR ~.
and for surface features using a scanning electron micro~ope
(SEM). a Form TalySurf 120 L (cut-off: O+25 mm and 0.8
mm. evaluation length: 4 - 6 con.~cutive cut-off, Filter: ISO
2CR). and an AFM. Although the latter three instrument
measure or illustrate slightly different surface features, they
are basically complimentary in nature. Their combined use
provides conlidencc on the data obtained. In this investiga-
tion. three randomly selected balls from each batch are traced
three times at approximately three orthogonal planes using
the TalyRond and Form T;dySurf to provide the roundness
and surface roughness, respectively. The TalyRond trace
measures the maximum departure from a true circle of
assumed magnitude and as such it denoted roundness. The
sphericity of each ball. according to ABMA. is defined as the
maximum value o f the roundness measured on three orthog-
onal planes t)f the ball. Similarly. the surface finish of each
ball is taken as the maximum value of three traces akmg three
orthogonal planes of the ball.
The surface roughness obtained by mechanical polishing
generally has approximately a symmetrical prolilc. However,
when the peaks are smoothened preferentially leaving the
valleys intact as in CMP of finishing of SigN4 giving a fairly
smooth ta'aring surf0ce, the surface roughness can be unsym-
metrical. Many parameters have been propo~d ~o quantity
the various surface characteristics. It is necessary to ensure
that these values truly represent the surface features of inter-
est. It is generally recognized that only R, is not enough to
evaluate ihe surface finish and that I,a.'~thR~,and R, ( or R...... J
may be necessary. The R., value represents the average rough-
ness is a typical value of the measured surface but infi~rmation
regarding lhe shape of the irregularities ( such as deep surface
dcl'ccts) is averaged out. The R, value is the vertical distance
he[wren the highest and lowest points of the roughness pro-
file. It is not a typical value for the whole surface, but can
directly ~epresent the irregular surface defects, such as
scratches and pits (deep valleys), which can have a signili-
cant efl'~ct on the surface quality of advanced ceramic mate-
rials ( R, = Rp + R, = R,, ) fiw various applications.
For o stylus instrument, such as TalySurf the stylus size
and shape affect the accaracy of the profile, it would not be
possible to trace the complete profile of a deep valley espe-
cially the I'a~ttom if the size of the valley is smaller than the
tip radius, The stylus tip radius of TalySurf 250 used in this
study is "- 2 pro1. However, SEM micmgraph can be helpful
to identify whether there arc surface delk,cts which can be
relY,coted by stylus of TalySulf and whether the value from
TalySurf is a reliable for small-damage surface. TalySulf is
convenient to use for large area scanning with help by SEM
271
micrograph. We al.,~ checked surface finish by ZYGO laser
interference microscope which is a non-contact measurement
instrument. For the ZYGO laser interference microscope, the
focus range is important and should include both peaks and
valleys of the polished surface. Otherwise. the surface values
from ZYGO are unreliable. The stylus tip radius of AFM is
<0.08 p m and can easily be broken and not easy to be
operated and u.~d very often, in this study. AFM is used fin.
final high magnification evaluation of some random areas
I =- 12). Based on the evaluation by all of TalySurf. SEM.
ZYGO and AFM characterization techniques, one can be
more confident [hill the surface finish value shown are a reli-
able representation of the true surface quality.
6. Results
Fig. 2a--c are SEM micrograph, a Form TalySurf profile,
and an AFM image, respectively of a commercially finished
best Si ,Na ball surface ( considered as a master ball of ABMA
Grade 3). From 1he SEM micrograph (Fig. 2a). it can be
~;cen that while some areas of the surface are extremely
smt~t)th, there are many fine .~ratcbes and .some pits. The
AFM image of the polished surface ( Fig. 2c P more or less
shows the same I~atures with an R., of = .5 nm and R, ..... of
=- 220 nm. Even though the TalySu.,t" profile of the sm(x)th
region of the polished surface gives an R, of ~ 7 nm and Rt
of = 7t) nm ( Fig. 2b) this may not reflect the actual suet'ace
roughness as can be seen from the SEM image (Fig. 2a).
From the SEM image, several deep pits can be seen the size
of such detects at the Pa)ttom would be ~maller than Ihe slylus
tip radius ~2 # m ) of the TalySuif. As previously pointedout.
the values ohtained by TalySurf. AFM. and ZYGO would
depend on Iheir abilily to analyze the dart from all the peaks
a~ well as the wdlcys. If tbe depth of field is not adequate fi~r
a given magnification, the data would be in error on account
of this. Consequently. care should be exerci.~d in the quan-
Ilia:lye evaluation of the satiate finish obtained at the.~ mag-
nifications although relative v M u e s and surface topography
arc helpful in the analysis. Huh et al. 116l recently showed
the surface finish of a [a~lished surface of a commercial SigN4
ball {7/16 in diameter) using an AFM. an R., in the region
without defects as 1.8-2.8 nm and the regions including the
defects as I I - 18 nm ( with defect density medium and.~ratch
marks sevcreL For smaller-sized balls ( I / 4 in diamelerl.
Ihcy rcl~rted an R., of 2.5 to 4 mn in the region without aqy
detects and 35-40 nm including the regions with defects
{with defect density large and scratch marks somc~. How-
ever. the R ...... with defects can be many times this value (at
least 10 limes). Fig. 3 is an AFM hnagc at higher magnifi-
cation showing deep pits separated by sm(x)th regions of a
commercially linished ball.
Fig. 4a and b are an SEM micrograph and a Form TalySuff
profile, respectively, ofa Si ~N~ball surface finished by Cr:O,.
From the SEM micrograph ,~Fig. 4a ~. it car: be seen that while
much of the surfiic is very smtR)th there arc some line
,7, M. Jiaug. R. K~nmmdw'i / Wear 215 ( 1998~ 267-27bl

Im

(b) . .i i

-!- ~'- lOOltm

l O.2tim t Z ra~
It,s (1~)
217.711*~
II,I~! n~
* u~ ~ ~ r~sk~ss (lla) 5,0SI ml
I~: 7 nm tlaN k e l l e r (R~) 220,1~ tm
-i m -- $~r~a~e arelt
Rt: O.07 t i m ~'~rraoe ,tea 4irr

i:ig. 2. ~ a ) T h e S E M m i c r o g r a p b o f a c,',nmerial!)' linished Si~N.~ h~dl .~url'ace. ( b I T h e T a l y s u r f s u r f a c e mughne.,.s profile o f a c o m m e r c i a l l y finished Si ,N.t
ball .,url~ce. () T h e A F M i m a g e u l ' a c o m m e r c i a l l y linir.hcd Si ~N.~ ball .~urface.

k ,

(b) . . . . .
i zl~ LI /
0.2 p m
100,urn
i/iml
Ra: 1U.7 a m
n*mI
RI: 0.149 tim
J 2 rm~e "/5,151 l i
J Iiein -4.1711 mm I:ig. 4. ( a ) T h e SI:.M m i c r o g r u p h o f ;a Si iN4 hall ~urlac tl|li~hcd by C r : O ,
k (1~) I O . O g 7 iv* abrasive. ( b l The T a l y ~ u r f xurl'a~e r~ughne.,,~ prolil ~d" a Si ,N~ hall ~tlrI'~|c
IS4,an T m e s l m ~ s ( R a ) 5.172 *m
Max h e t g k t ( l i m a . ) ? 0 . 1 [ ~ 7 nt4 li,i,,hetl by 'r,O, ahraxi~ e.
.~ur face ar.l,a
I fatrf~ area d t r f

I-ig 3 TI~- AI:M illli~.~t." .3I h i g h e r lna~Tlilkc';,ltitm ,,ho'~-inl2 r..$tlt~tll alL'it
~'p'~t'alCtl b ) pilling o l a c , m m e r c i a l l ~ Imi~.hed Si ,N ~ hall ~.url~tc'e.
~ratches and seven,l small pits. The surface finish values
obtained by the Fornl TalySurf are R.,= 10.7 nm and
R~=0.149 btm. A plau.,,ible explanation Ibr the observed
roughness with Cr:O ~abrasive, in spite of its CMP ability, is
it..., higher hardness t harder than Si,N.~) and consequent
mechanical abrasion leading Io abrasion and pilling. Also.
soinc of the species generated during CMP with Cr.,O~ may
require carelid handling from an environmental point of view
which is not the case with CeO_, [ 17 I. Hence, the use of CeO.,
for polishing of Si ~N4 would be preferable both from CMP
and environnlenlal pot,its of view.
Table 5 gives the average surface finish and material
removal rates obtained at progressive stages of polishing. The
 M- Ji~mg. R. K.m~mduri / Wear 215 f I~x~Rt 267-27~ 273

Table 5
The average .~urface linish and material renmval rates during various stages of poli.',hing

Stage Abrasive Surface li.ish ( average ) MRR ( per ball ) M = c r i a ! r~inoval n~hani~m
R,, ( n m ) R, i # m ) ( mg/min ) ~/~m/min )

I B~C 5(X) 225 1.95 O.q~ 1.2 Microi'r.'wturc

SiC 4(x) 170 1.40 o.f~l. 0.8 Microfraulnre
2 SiC ilX)O 95 l).80 o,.~t 0.4 Submicrofraclur
S i C 12(X) 55 0.50 (i.2o 0.2 Submicrofr~cmrc
3 S i C 14000 15 o. 15 o.(~ - Suhmicrofrac~ur~
CeO., 4 {}.{)3 I}.() I - Tril'~chcmical

corresponding TalySurf surface finish profiles are shown in ZYGO are R, --- 3 . 9 nm and R,,,, = 0 . 0 2 1 / ~ m f o r the line scan
Fig. 5a-f. It can be seen Ihat the surface roughness as well as and by AFM are R, = 1.4 nm and R,,,,, =O.OI8/.tin for the
the material removal rates decca.~ as ~he hardness and grain area ~an. The SEM micrograph.~ (Fig. 7b) show es~ntially
size of the abrasive decrea~s due to a decrea~ in the size of smemth surface with practically no surface defects. Both AFM
brittle microfracture. For a harder abrasive with a fine grain and ZGYO also provide surface finish by averaging over an
size. the material removal is by submicro~opic fracture and area. The evaluation of surface topography by all the char-
therefi~re results in damage-free subsurface. Further CMP acterization techniques considered in this investigalion.
with a softer abrasive, such as CeO:, as will be shown, will namely, TalySurf. SEM. ZYGO. and AFM. gives cemfidencc
result in an extremely smooth surface. that the final surface is damage-free with a finish of R,,=4
Fig. 6a and b show the 3-D plot of the surface roughness nm and R, = 0.04 p.m ( cut-off: 0.25 ram. evaluation length:
using the ZYGO non-contacting l a i r interference micro- 4 - 6 con~cutive cut-off. Filter: ISO 2CR). if one ctmsiders
scope and the AFM profile, respectively of the final surface the AFM values, the surface finish R., would bc = 1.4 nm.
polished by sorer CeO_, abrasive. The surface finish values Fig. 7a is an SEM m i c r ~ m p h of a Si;Na ball surface
after the linal polishing obtained by Form TalySurf are obtained after mechanical polishing with a finer SiC abrasive
R=~---3.8 nm and R~=0.029 btm, while t h o ~ obtained by ( 8000 grit size) indicating that the material removal from the

(a)

. . . . . (b)

. . . . . I I

l~: 237 nm Rw 175 r i m

Rt; 2,U6 l~m Re I..~t gm
i::! ' '

(d)

...... = ,
t' Ii

i;" ~ : 98 =rim

Rt: {Y?P.~m
[~=: 5U n m
R~: 0.44 14m

(c) ". " - tO .. ~, -

..... ~. _ _ ..~ ~G.~,,rn ..... .___]o2~m

o , . . . . . ~ - ~ ~ . . "V'.'~.,,~"~r~'~ ~ r . . _ ~ , , ' - - ~ - - ' ~ .r - ,--.
100 prn "100~um
Ra: 16 ' a m R.: 3[] rim

Ri, 0 1.6 .urn RI: 0~'49 Hm

CeOz ='5gm) abrasive
Fig. 5. The T a l y S u r f surface r~,ughnc.~.~ pruli;s , f a Si ,N= hall after polishing by: [ a ) B=C (~(N) gril ~ abrasive. ( b ) SiC" i 400 grit ) ;,bra~ive. ~ ) SiC ( IO(~1
grit ) ahra.~i~e. ( d ) SiC" ( I ?(XI grit ) ;Ihra~ive. () SiC I X(XI() ~rit ) ahra~iv~:, and ( I ) ('cO: ( _~/.ml ) abram,ire. respectively.
274 llt. Ji.t~g. R. K.nt.ndt#ri / t~'r.r 215 1t{~q,'~) 2~7-.27,~

r,m

--48r ~ 0 L
B, ~65B

.em.mm

ILl

[
uJ

~i ~4 - r'-- "--"F-

at.rot
~o~tr

2;:? , r

(a)

Im

2 ramie i S . 5 9 3 me I
mean Z. | 0 2 me
Ilbes ( ~ q ) 3 . 2 3 9 me
l l q ~ r m a g k n e s s TRaJ 1 . 3 1 E mu
Ilal( ) 1 e i g h t O l i a N ) 18.433 rm
I
l
j
~rFIGe area !
SurFace area &aFt

I:i1:. ~ ~ u i " ~ Z Y ( ; O phlf i fIX} I:il~:uu ) ~d' Ih~: ~,urlac o f u .";i ,N, bull ;u'tcr ti.isl)intz hy ( ' 0 : 1 5 I " " ) abra~,iv. ~ b) The A I : M imup'-" . f ih .,,,rtacc t f f a
%i ,N, hall atIL'r ImtshinL~ h) (+el'): t .~ /.~m I ablusi~,v.
 ~ Jiung, R. Kimuuuhiri/ Weiir 215 t 1~8~ 267-278
Fitz.7. ( a I The SEM inicrographoflhe surfacelif a St,N, ball after ~di.,,hlng
by SiC 1 8 t i l l ~.ril ) ahnisivc. I h ) The SEM miero[zrliph of lhc ~urlilce or a
Si .N l hitll atier Fallishing By ('cO, ( 5 p.nit ahn:sivc.
workmaterial is predominantly by brittle fracture on a sub-
microscopic scale under the mechanical action o f the abra-
sive. While some I~lishing scratches can he seen. the .~urface
is relatively free of pits that would normal!y form using dia-
mond abra.~ive+ Fig. 7b is a represenlative SEM mierograph
of a Si ~N+ ball .~urhice after the surface has I',en finished by
C M P with a softer abrasive, CeO_,, showing an extremely
smt~)th surface with practically m) surfilce del~ccts, such as
pits or scratch mark.~. Several areas of the Si +Na ball surface
were scanned and the micro~,raph shown in Fig. 7b was fimnd
to be a representative of the topography o f the surface.
Fig. 8a and b SEM micrographs of the polishing shaft after
polishing St,N+ balls with B~C 500 and B+C 1500 abrasives.
They show that the abrasives are actually not embedded in
the shaft t,s considered by Childs et al. 171 but actually abrade
the softer stainless steel polishi ng shaft. Thus. while the action
of the abrasives is one of a two txuly abrasitm ( i.e., sliding
without rotation) as rightly [minted out by Child.,,, they are
not fixed but move relative to the polishing shall. The material
remov;,I is due it) the r e l a t i v e speed between the abrasives
and the workmaterials.
"75
Fig. 8. I a t The SEM mie.~l[mphor ll~ ~l;iill!,~,l ~n_,elshaft in i:lmii~i wilh
St;N4 halls in MYP ~howing Ihe pre:,cnce of B,C ~<;OO~.ri(I purlilc.,+ and
ahnl.,,ilm mark~,~m the ~,hal~malerial. (hi Th-- .-,?M micn~g~,~phof Ihc
',hlinle',',,,fuel~,lialihi co111a1wilh Si ,N, h:ill~,in MI-P~,llo~,.;ngIhprc~enc
~l' B+C I I.~lHIgril ppanich:.~and a~a~iml inark~~mii~c~lmltnialeri~'il.
Fig, 9a a n d b s h o w | h e T a l y R o n d roundnes.,i tnlces o f ;in
as-received ball and the linishcd ball, rcspccti:'ely. It shows
that the roundness of the NBD-2(M) HIP-Si+~N~ balls was
reduced from the as-received condition of = 2(X)/zm to a
tinal value of ~ 0.25 ,u.m. The sphericity of Ibe ball.~ ( i.e..
maximum deviation of the roundness of :l ball laken in three
orlhogonal planes) fi~rthis batch was fimnd lit be in the range
of 0.30 ,urn.
From the work presented here, it can bc seen that magnetic
float IX)lishing technique can be used fiw linishing SieNa balls
f r o m the as-received condition to the required diameter. ~phe-
riciuy ( < 0.3 /.tin). and surface linish ( < 4 toni wid-~out
scratches or pits on the s u r f ~ e . The actual polishing process
from the as-received condition to the linal requirements can
be achieved in less than 20 h. This. however, dex~s not lake
into account the time taken filr the characlerization o f the
surfaces by various techniques mcnlioncd in this paper. The
methodology developed here incorporates tx~lishing condi-
tions and use of appn~priale abrasives ( i,)cluding grain sizes i
thai arc not se ve re enough at any siaLze to cause damage, such
276 M. Jiang. R. Komunduri / Wear 215 (19981267-2"/8

~...~" '~..~..j.
D

&

&

& 4

.! /:
z~

ql

4 ib

4..' &
&. . ,. .

I~ . .4

tOOI " '- II

~Ir q" II,v ~g

4
,ill & & ib *1 m~

Fig. eJ. 4.a t The TaiyRond roundnc.,,s pr,.~lilc o f an as-received Si ~N4 b~ll sho~ ing a 2(XI p.m 5 m m band at the parting line duc to the uniaxial pressing p n ~ e s s
t Roundne~.,,: 195 ptm ). ( b} The TalyRtmd rolmdnes~; pr.~lilc o i ' a Si ,N.~ bull after the tina| ~.lagc t}|"ptdi,lhing by C e O : 15 p.m } abrasive I Roundness: 0.25 p.m ).

as deep pits and cracks at and near the surface, so that the
balls can be linished to the requirements without surface or
near surface damage. Of cour.~, whether or not the surface
can be linished absolutely smtmth also depends on the resid-
ual pcwosily of the uniaxially pressing-Si~N~ material.
7. Discussion
7.1. Mech~miculp, di~hinj~
The mechanism of material removal from the SigN, balls
by liner grit, harder abrasives, such as B4C and SiC in MFP
process is by mechanical microfracture because of higher
hardness of the abrasive and the inherent hardness of the
workmaterial. Under these conditions material removal
occurs not by grain pullout, grain fracture, and large fracture
but by microfracture by cleavage. While chemo-mechanical
action may aiso occur, its contribution is considered to be
much smaller than the mechanical action, namely, microfrac-
lure by cleavage.
Childs et al j ? I have shown that in magnetic float polish-
ing, material removal from the balls is accomplished by the
action o|" the abrasives embedded in the shaft due to sliding
at the contact area between the drive shaft and the ball. It is
unlikely that when line abrasives are held between the SigN4
 M. Jiang. R, Komanduri / Wear 215 Ill#H) 267-278
balls and the stainless steel shaft that the abrasives will get
embedded in the shaft, as in the pre~nt case. If this is ,so, one
would never be able to remove material from .softer work-
materials with loose abrasives, in an actual situation, the
abrasive will abrade the soft stainless steel shaft much mote
so than the Si3N~ workmaterial and it appears unlikely that
the abrasives will be emhedded as Childs et al. considered
but would be moving relative to the polishing shaft forming
abrasion marks in the shaft. In fact wear on the stainless steel
shah is as a result of it and may have to be ground periodically
to improve sphericity,
For larger*sized abrasives and higher loads, as in conven-
tional polishing with diamond abrasive, the finished surface
is effectual by the formation of deep pits. grooves and cracks.
This will not be the ca~ with finer abrasives and lighter loads.
Higher material removal rates without subsurface damage is
feasible by magnetic float polishing hecau~ of high polishing
speeds and very flexible float system used [ 8 ], The low loads
used ( I N/bail), while c a u l s microcracking by cleavage, is
small enough as to not cause larger cracks, or dislodge grains
by grain pullout.
Z2. C h e m t ~ - m e c h a n i c a l p o l i s h i n g
The mechanism of material removal in the final stages of
polishing by softer cerium oxide is due to CMP. Thermal
analysis of flash temperature and flash duration [ 18 ] as well
as thermodynamic studies of the polishing process strongly
suggest the possibility of CMP of Si~N~ by Cud., [ 19l. The
details of the chemo-mechanical action of the Cud_, abrasive
with the Si~Nj balls will he the subject of a subsequent pub-
lication. Under the mechanical frictional action during pol-
ishing, chemical reactions can be initiated between the Si.~N4
balls and the Cud_, abrasive in the pre~nce of water ( from
the water based magnetic fluid) and the material is removed
by the chemical dissolution of material resulting in a reaction
product that is subsequently removed by the mechanical
action of the abrasive. Since the hardness of C u d 2 abrasive
is = I/3 of Si3N4 workmaterial, it can hardly scratch or dam-
age it and the material is removed by tribological interaction
forming a reaction product. Thus. tribochemical action
instead of mechanical fracture is credited here for the
extremely smooth and damage-free surfaces accomplished
on the SigN4 balls,
it has been suggested [7] that magnetic fluid grinding is
more likely to replace the roughing stage of finishing than the
final polishing stage. We have clearly demonstrated in this
investigatio, the'.! MFP can replace completely (both rough-
ing and finishing) the conventional polishing starting from
the as-received balls and completely finish them to the final
specifications in the same apparatus. The methodology for
finishing SigN4 balls by MFP is presented for the first time in
this paper that involves actual finishing time an order or
magnitude or more faster than conventional polishing.
277
8. C e a d m i o m
( I ) Magnetic float polishing (MFP) combining mechan-
ical and CMP is an efficient and cost effective manufacturing
technology for woducing high quality SigN4balls for bearing
applications due to high polishing speed,small and contwlled
polishing force, flexible support, and chemo-mecbanical
action.
(2) There are three neces~ry stagesfor polishing, namely.
initial roughing stage where the emphasis is on high material
removal rate with minimal surface-subsurface damage, inter-
mediate semi-finishing stage where material removal rate.
sphericity, and surface roughness have to be closely moni-
tored, and final finishing stage with emphasis is on the
required size, sphericity, and finish.
(3) High material removal rates ( I p,m/min) with mini-
mal subsurface damage ate possible using harder abrasives,
such as B~C or SiC dec to rapid accumulation of minute
amounts of material removed by mechanical microfracture at
high polishing speeds and low loatL~ in the MFP process.
Although material removal is by brittle fracture, it occurs on
a micro~ale due to low polishing force, flexible float system.
Pqd fine abrasives. The cracks generated ate localized and
suppres~d from propagating into microcracks. Conse-
quently, su~urface damage is minimized leading to the
higher strength of the workmateriai and reliability of the paris
in ~rvice.
(4) An advantage of the magnetic float polishing apparatus
u~d in this investigation is that it is capable of finishing a
small batch ( 10-20 balls) to the finished requirements with-
out the need for sorting them from a forge batch of balls or
u ~ different equipment a~ in conventional lapping. Such an
apparatu~ would be beneficial especially when small batches
are needed for specific low volume applications or for eval-
uation of materials in the development of new materials for
hearing applications.
(5) MFP can be acost effective process for finishing Si~N
balls for hearing applications. The semifinishing and finishing
stages can be accomplishing in about 4 h. The roughing stage
depends on the amount of material to he removed from the
as-received condition to the final requirements. In any c,~se,
a batch of balls can be finished in ~- I6 to 20 h compared to
.several weeks by conventional polishing. Aim. diamond
abrasive is not required for the process. Faster polishing times
and use of abrasives other than diamond would significantly
reduce the overall costs of manufacture of Si3N4 balls for
bearing applications. Also, the implementation of this tech-
nology would not be very capital intensive as it can he used
by modifying the existing equipment. Attempts are currently
underway to increase the batch size to finish about a hundred
balls per batch with the next generation equipment.
(6) The CMP depends on the polishing conditions u~d.
abrasive-workmaterial combination, and the environment.
Cud: is found to be the most effective abrasive ( superior to
even Cr,~OO in the CMP of Si.~N 4 balls yielding a damage-
free surface with a finish of R~,<4 nm and Rt < 0.04 /,tin.
278 M. Jiang, R, K..umduri / Wear 21511998} 267-278
Also, it is possible that some of the ion species formed with
CeO: abrasive can be much more safer than those with Cr.,O~
from an environmental point of view, which will be discussed
in more detail in a sub~quent publication.
Acknowledgements
This project is sponsored by grants from the National Sci-
ence Foundation on "Tribological Interactions in Polishing
of Advanced Ceramics and Glas~s," (CMS-9414610).
"Design. Construclion, and Optimization of Magnetic Field
Assisted Polishing'. ( DMI-9402895 ), and DoD's DEPSCoR
Program on 'Finishing of Advanced Ceramics" ( DAAH04-
9,5-1-0323). This project was initiated by an ARPA contract
on "Ceramic Bearing Technology Program" (F33615-92-
5933). Thanks are due to Drs, J, Lar~n Basse, B.M. Kramer.
Ming Leu, and J. Lee of NSF and Dr. K.R. Mecklenburg of
WPAFB and Dr. W. Coblenz of ARPA for their interest and
support of this work. Thanks are also due to Dr. M. Raghun-
andan, a former graduate student at OSU. for his contributions
to the research carried out at OSU.
References
[ I] Y.TanLK. Kawata.Dcvcl,pmcntofhigh-efticientlinefinishingproc-
ess using magnelic fluid. Ann. CIRP 33 ~'1~84) 217-220.
121 N. Umehara. K. Kate. Principles,f magne,c fluid grinding of ceramic
balh. Appl. Eleclromagn. Mater. I ( I ~ ) ) 37--43.
131 N. Umehara. Magnetic fluid grinding--a new technique lbr finishing
advanced
ceramics. Ann. CIRP 43 ( ~ ) ( | 994 ) 185- | g8.
14j T.H.C. Childs. H.J. Y(~m. Magnetic fluid grinding cefl design. Ann,
CIRP41 t I ) ~ 19921 343-346.
151 T.H.C. Childs. D.A. Jones, S MahmcNxl. K. KaRl. B. Zhang, N.
Umehara, Magnetic fluid grinding mechanics. Wear 175 (1994) 189-
198.
161 T.H.C. Childs. S. Yoon. H.J. Mnhmood. The material removal mech-
anism in magnetic fluid grinding of ceramic bali bearings, Proc. IME
(Lon ) 208 ( B I ) ( 1994 ) 47-59.
171 T.H.C. Chitds, S. Mahmood. H.J. Yoon. Magnetic fluid grinding of
ceramic hails. Tribal. Int. 28 {6) ( 19~;31 341-348.
181 M. Raghunandan. A. No~ri-Khajavi. N. Umehara. R. Komanduri.
Magnetic float polishing of advanced ceramics. Trans ASME. J. of
Manuf. Sci. +Eng.. 119 (1~)6) 521-528,
[91 N. Umehara. R. Komanduri. Magnetic fluid grinding of HIP-ShN4
rollers. Wear 192 (1996) 85-93.
I I0 ] R.E. Rosenswig. Ferrodynamics. Cambridge Univ, Press. New York.
1985.
I 11 I N. Yasunaga, N. Tarumi. A. Obara. O. Imanaka. Mechanism and
application of the mechannehemica! txdishing method using .,;offer
Powder. in: B.H. Hnekcy. R.W. Rice (Eds.). Science of Ceramic
Machining and Surface Finishing--It, NBS Special Publications No.
5fl2, 1979, p. 171.
1121 T.E. Fischer. Tribochemistry. Ann. Rev. Mater. Sci. 18 (1988) 303-
323.
I 131 R. KomandurL N, Umehara, M. Raghunandan. On the possibility of
chemo-meclpmical action in magnetic float polishing uf silicon
nilride, Trans. ASME J. Tribal. ! 18 i IC~) 721-727.
fl41 SR. Bhagavatula. R. Komanduri. On chemo-mechanical polishing of
silicon nitride with chromium oxide abrasive. Philos. Mag. A 74 (4)
(1996) 1003-1017.
I1,~1 B,T. Kilboum, Cerium--A Guide to hs Role in ChemicalTechnology.
Molycarp, White Ptains. NY. 1992.
I 1~1 S.R. Ilah. T.E. Fischer. C. Burk. Ceramic bearing development--
tribachemical flubbing of silicon nilride. VoL 4. Technical Report
No. WL-TR-~)6-40180 The Materials Direc:lorale, Wrighi Patterson
AFB OH, March 1995,
117] R.G. Reddy. R. Komanduri, On the nature of chemical specie.,~ in
chemo-mech;mical polishing of SigN4 balh with Cr,O~ abrasive in
magnetic Ileal polishing (MFP). manu~ript under preparation, Iq97,
1181 Z.B. ltou. R. Komanduri. Magnetic Field Assisled Polishing: Pun I,
Thermal Model. ASME Trans. J. of Tril'K)logy ( in press L 1997.
I lql M Jiang. R, Komanduri, On the Cherm~mcchanical Polishing
(CMP ~ of Si~N.LBearing Balls with COO,. submitted t'or publication,
i ~,~)7.