Metrology of Surfaces Applied to the Electrochemical Polishing Process

This study presents an integrated approach to the teaching of surface metrology and the regulation of electrochemical polishing process control parameters. The electropolishing processes permits different ranges of surface finish through different combinations of the process parameters of current density (J) and electropolishing time (t), and students must have a sound knowledge of the procedure for selecting filters (λs, λc, λf). Thus, experimental trials are undertaken to establish the influence of current density (J) and electropolishing time (t) on surface finish by measuring the arithmetic average roughness parameter (Ra), and setting the filters and measurement procedure for each range of surface finish. The integrated learning of both disciplines enables students to consolidate their knowledge on the methodology for measuring surface roughness (Ra), and to establish direct correlations between variation in process control parameters and the surface finish obtained by characterizing the behaviour of the process.