The present invention is based on the practice of
abrasive machining with no sealed working chamber by the employment of a visco-elastic
abrasive medium, behaving predominantly as an elastic
solid at the applied strain of the orbital working motion, and applying orbital or other relative working motion to produce strain rates which bring the medium into a predominantly elastic deformation and often near, but
not to exceed, the compressive
stress limit at the
strain rate employed. The preferred visco-elastic
abrasive medium is a rheopectic poly(boro-
siloxane) filled with
viscosity increasing stiffening agents and high loadings of the abrasive of choice and relatively minor amounts of plasticizers. The
system is operated in an open chamber under applied strain rates such that at least about 50%, particularly about 50 to 99%, and preferably about 80 to 95%, of the deflection of the medium
tinder the conditions of operation occurs by elastic deformation and is elastically recovered, and less than 50%, particularly about 1 to 50%, preferably about 5 to 20%, of the deflection of the medium occurs by fluid or plastic flow.