Contact forces and mechanisms in a vibratory finisher

The normal and tangential contact forces in a vibratory finishing machine were measured using a newly developed force sensor. A video system was used to record the motion of the finishing media as it collided with the test surface. Media contact occurred in three different modes. The ratio of the normal and tangential forces was compared with the measured friction coefficient under dry and water-wet conditions. This confirmed that media sliding occurred under water-wet conditions.