Influence of silicon powder-mixed dielectric on conventional electrical discharge machining

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a technological process with a large industrial implementation. Its use is particularly intense when very complex shapes on hard materials with a high geometrical and dimensional accuracy are required. However, the technological capability of the process has limited its application when the specification of the part surface quality imposes polished and mirror-like characteristics. The addition of powder particles in suspension in the dielectric modifies some process variables and creates the conditions to achieve a high surface quality in large areas. This paper presents a new research work aiming to study the performance improvement of conventional EDM when used with a powder-mixed dielectric. A silicon powder was used and the improvement is assessed through quality surface indicators and process time measurements, over a set of different processing areas. The results show the positive influence of the silicon powder in the reduction of the operating time, required to achieve a specific surface quality, and in the decrease of the surface roughness, allowing the generation of mirror-like surfaces.     

石墨电极电火花加工性能的影响因素分析

影响石墨电极电火花加工性能的因素很多，各因素的合理配合对电火花加工特性有重要的影响。分析了主轴性能、脉冲电源及智能控制、工作液、电参数和加工极性选择等对石墨电极加工性能的影响，为生产实践提供了理论依据。     

添加剂对混粉电火花加工工作液的影响

粉末沉降速度对混凝土电火花加工作液性能有重要影响，是实现混粉电火花镜面加工的关键，本文采用实验对比的方法，研究了聚环氧乙烷类和芳烃类添加剂对粉末沉降速度的影响。结果表明，芳烃类添加剂能降低粉末沉降速度，在实验所用添加剂材料及添加浓度下，混粉电火花镜面加工效果得到明显改善。     

混粉电火花加工工作液流场及颗粒运动仿真研究

根据混粉电火花加工对装置的要求,在对储液箱内的粉末颗粒运动状态进行数学分析的基础上,采用COSMOS/Flo Works软件对工作液流场及颗粒运动状态进行模拟仿真.分析结果表明,设计的数学模型能反映储液箱内液流的实际运动状态,并能帮助对射流器喷液结构进行优化设计,该数学模型可为混粉电火花加工装置一体化设计提供技术支持.     

新型电火花混粉镜面加工液处理工艺流程及装置的设计

提出将磁力液力旋流器用于电火花加工工作液中加工渣的分离处理，分析了国内外普通电火花加工和混有导电性粉末物质的电火花加工分离处理过程的现状和存在问题，介绍了新型电火花加工工作液工艺流程及处理装置的特点和结构设计。     

A review on current research trends in electrical discharge machining (EDM)

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is one of the earliest non-traditional machining processes. EDM process is based on thermoelectric energy between the work piece and an electrode. A pulse discharge occurs in a small gap between the work piece and the electrode and removes the unwanted material from the parent metal through melting and vaporising. The electrode and the work piece must have electrical conductivity in order to generate the spark. There are various types of products which can be produced using EDM such as dies and moulds. Parts of aerospace, automotive industry and surgical components can be finished by EDM. This paper reviews the research trends in EDM on ultrasonic vibration, dry EDM machining, EDM with powder additives, EDM in water and modeling technique in predicting EDM performances.     

The effect in EDM of a dielectric of a urea solution in water on modifying the surface of titanium

This study investigates the influence of the machining characteristics on pure titanium metals using an electrical discharge machining (EDM) with the addition of urea into distilled water. Additionally, the effects of urea addition on surface modification are also discussed. In the experiments, machining parameters such as the dielectric type, peak current and pulse duration were changed to explore their effects on machining performance, including the material removal rate, electrode wear rate and surface roughness. Moreover, the elemental distribution of nitrogen on the machined surface was qualitatively determined by EPMA to assess the effects on surface modification. Micro hardness and wear resistance tests were performed to evaluate the effects of the reinforced surface.Experimental results indicate that the nitrogen element decomposed from the dielectric that contained urea, migrated to the work piece, forming a TiN hard layer, resulting in good wear resistance of the machined surface after EDM.     

超硬磨料砂轮不同介质中电火花修整试验研究

超硬磨料砂轮的电火花修整受到极间放电间隙的限制,采用传统的放电介质条件难以达到粗粒度砂轮的修整要求。为此,结合混粉放电加工机理,提出混粉介质中的电火花修整方法,进行压缩空气、去离子水雾和混粉去离子水雾3种介质及不同放电参数下的放电间隙对比试验研究,并开展金刚石砂轮修整和工件磨削试验。试验结果表明:混粉介质电火花修整的放电间隙最大,能提高粗粒度青铜结合剂金刚石砂轮的修整效率,同时优化砂轮修整后的表面形貌、磨粒突出状况和磨削性能。在开路电压为90 V、峰值电流为13.33 A及占空比为50%的最佳放电参数下,混粉介质的电火花修整效率与前2种介质相比可提高28.2%～50.0%;且加入的SiO₂粉末使砂轮表面的Si元素分布更均匀、含量更高,进而提高其耐磨性。      

TC4钛合金混粉电火花表面改性研究

目的通过混粉电火花加工方法,分别使用紫铜和石墨作为工具电极,获得综合性能较好的TC4钛合金表面。方法利用手持式TR200粗糙度仪对工件表面的粗糙度进行测量,用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪对工件组织形貌和物相结构进行分析,用FM800型显微硬度计对工件表面进行显微硬度测量。结果在相同电参数下,紫铜电极加工的工件较石墨电极加工的工件表面粗糙度要低,硬度也相对低。当I=4.5A、tON=30?s时,紫铜电极加工的工件表面平均粗糙度值Ra=2.223?m,表面硬度约为600HV;石墨电极加工的工件表面平均粗糙度值Ra=2.796?m,表面硬度约为700HV。当I=9 A、tON=30?s时,紫铜电极加工的工件表面平均粗糙度值Ra=2.748?m,表面硬度约为650HV;石墨电极加工的工件表面平均粗糙度值Ra=3.705?m,表面硬度约为750HV。结论在不同电极条件下混粉电火花加工后,TC4钛合金工件表面都达到了强化的效果。     

Improvement of surface finish on SKD steel using electro-discharge machining with aluminum and surfactant added dielectric

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is widely used to process hard materials in the industry. Electrical discharge distribution effects can be achieved by the addition of Al powder in the dielectric. A fine surface roughness value of the workpiece is thus obtained. However, the electrostatic force among fine Al particles is found to agglomerate the Al powders in the dielectric. A surfactant can be adopted to separate the Al powder in the dielectric homogenously. A better surface even the mirror-like quality of the EDMed workpiece is thus desired. In the study, the effect of surfactant and Al powders added in the dielectric on the surface status of the workpiece after EDM is investigated.It is observed the best distribution effect is found when the concentrations of the Al powder and surfactant in the dielectric are 0.1 and 0.25 g/L, respectively. An optimal surface roughness (Ra) value of 0.172 μm is achieved under the following parameter—positive polarity, discharge current 0.3 A, pulse duration time 1.5 μs, open circuit potential 140 V, gap voltage 90 V and surfactant concentration 0.25 g/L.The surface roughness status of the workpiece has been improved up to 60% as compared to that EDMed under pure dielectric with high surface roughness Ra of 0.434 μm.     

Improvement of Dry EDM Characteristics Using Piezoelectric Actuator

This paper describes improvement of the machining characteristics of dry electrical discharge machining (dry EDM) by controlling the discharge gap distance using a piezoelectric actuator. Dry EDM is a new process characterized by small tool electrode wear, negligible damage generated on the machined surface, and significantly high material removal rate especially when oxygen gas is used. However, the narrow discharge gap length compared with conventional EDM using oil as the dielectric working fluid results in frequent occurrence of short circuiting which lowers material removal rate. A piezoelectric actuator with high frequency response was thus introduced to help control gap length of the EDM machine. To elucidate the effects of the piezoelectric actuator, an EDM performance simulator was newly developed to evaluate the machining stability and material removal rate of dry EDM.     

混粉电火花放电蚀坑及温度场仿真研究

混粉电火花加工是一种新型加工工艺,通过在工作液中添加微细粉末,显著改善加工表面粗糙度。电火花加工表面粗糙度的形成与放电蚀坑大小有直接关系,而放电蚀坑大小与单次脉冲放电温度场有密切联系。为了进一步提高混粉加工表面质量,利用ANSYS软件对放电点温度场进行了模拟与分析,得到了工件表层温度场的分布规律,揭示了材料去除机制,阐明了加工表面粗糙度与温度场的关系,对预测和改善混粉加工表面质量及日后生产实际应用提供了一定的理论依据。     

State of the art electrical discharge machining (EDM)

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-established machining option for manufacturing geometrically complex or hard material parts that are extremely difficult-to-machine by conventional machining processes. The non-contact machining technique has been continuously evolving from a mere tool and die making process to a micro-scale application machining alternative attracting a significant amount of research interests.In recent years, EDM researchers have explored a number of ways to improve the sparking efficiency including some unique experimental concepts that depart from the EDM traditional sparking phenomenon. Despite a range of different approaches, this new research shares the same objectives of achieving more efficient metal removal coupled with a reduction in tool wear and improved surface quality.This paper reviews the research work carried out from the inception to the development of die-sinking EDM within the past decade. It reports on the EDM research relating to improving performance measures, optimising the process variables, monitoring and control the sparking process, simplifying the electrode design and manufacture. A range of EDM applications are highlighted together with the development of hybrid machining processes. The final part of the paper discusses these developments and outlines the trends for future EDM research.     

Investigation of the effects of electrode orientation and fluid flow rate in near-dry EDM milling

This research investigates the effects of electrode lead and tilt angles and dielectric fluid flow rate on material removal rate, tool electrode wear ratio, and surface roughness in near-dry electrical discharge machining (EDM) milling process. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to predict the dielectric fluid flow rate and qualitatively compare with the experimentally measured EDM material removal rate. The optimum lead angle, which maximized material removal rate and minimized tool electrode wear ratio, was found. The decrease in the lead angle has a negative effect on the roughness of machined surface. The increase in tilt angle reduces the material removal rate and increases the tool electrode wear ratio. The change in tilt angle does not have a significant effect on the surface roughness and can be used to prevent gouging in finishing EDM milling. This study shows that the material removal rate is linearly proportional to the mass flow rate of air and kerosene mixture, the tool electrode wear ratio is inversely related to the mass flow rate of air and kerosene mixture, and the average surface roughness does not have a good correlation with the flow rate of the mixture.     

石墨电极电火花加工工艺与电火花机床的适应性研究

通过正交实验,讨论电火花机床对石墨电极电加工的影响,并分析了石墨电极电火花加工工艺与电火花机床的适应性,得出主轴性能影响放电加工的稳定性,脉冲电源可以提高加工速度,工作液可以提高加工表面质量和加工速度。     

Experimental characterization of material removal in dry electrical discharge drilling

Dry electrical discharge machining is one of the novel EDM variants, which uses gas as dielectric fluid. Experimental characterization of material removal in dry electrical discharge drilling technique is presented in this paper. It is based on six-factor, three-level experiment using L₂₇ orthogonal array. All the experiments were performed in a ‘quasi-explosion’ mode by controlling pulse ‘off-time’ so as to maximize the material removal rate (MRR). Furthermore, an enclosure was provided around the electrodes with the aim to create a back pressure thereby restricting expansion of the plasma in the dry EDM process. The main response variables analyzed in this work were MRR, tool wear rate (TWR), oversize and compositional variation across the machined cross-sections. Statistical analysis of the results show that discharge current (I), gap voltage (V) and rotational speed (N) significantly influence MRR. TWR was found close to zero in most of the experiments. A predominant deposition of melted and eroded work material on the electrode surface instead of tool wear was evident. Compositional variation in the machined surface has been analyzed using EDAX; it showed migration of tool and shielding material into the work material. The study also analyzed erosion characteristics of a single-discharge in the dry EDM process vis-á-vis the conventional liquid dielectric EDM. It was observed that at low discharge energies, single-discharge in dry EDM could give larger MRR and crater radius as compared to that of the conventional liquid dielectric EDM.     

硅电极电火花表面改性的研究

以工业纯硅为电极,通过电火花放电对试样进行表面改性处理.电火花设备型号为EDM7125,工作液为普通煤油,电极材料含硅99.6%,工件材料为45钢和球铁.采用扫描电镜及金相显微镜对试样表面形态进行了研究,对试样表面进行了能谱分析,对试样进行了耐蚀及表层结合强度等试验.结果表明:试样加工后表面形成一层含硅超过16%的合金层.电火花加工球铁石墨基本未脱落,但石墨周围易产生或扩展显微裂纹.高硅层结合强度非常高,进行永久变形时,无剥离和裂纹产生.而且,经电火花加工过的试样耐蚀性得到极大提高.另外,电火花加工,当参数合理时,可达到粉末混入加工的目的,试样可获得好的表面质量.     

混粉电火花加工表面显微裂纹的研究

对混粉电火花加工表面的显微裂纹进行了研究.选用铝粉工作液和硅粉工作液,在不同的参数条件下对两种工件材料进行了加工实验,得到了相应的裂纹分布图.结果表明,脉冲宽度对加工后表面显微裂纹的影响十分明显,峰值电流、粉末种类、工件材料等因素对显微裂纹的影响则并不明显.     

冷等离子体射流中微细电火花加工特性研究

采用晶体管脉冲电源,在氧气辅助氮气等离子体射流、氮氧混合等离子体射流及外部压缩空气辅助氮气等离子体射流等不同冷等离子体介质中进行了微细电火花加工特性的实验研究,以期确定加工过程稳定的工艺条件,达到提高加工效率和加工质量的目的。在氧气辅助氮气等离子体射流实验中发现,随着氧气流量的增加,材料去除速度和表面粗糙度值均有增大趋势;采用压缩空气辅助氮气等离子体射流的电火花加工在表面质量、边缘质量方面均优于氧气辅助氮气等离子体射流加工。     

The use of the orthogonal array with grey relational analysis to optimize the electrical discharge machining process with multiple performance characteristics

In this paper a new approach for the optimization of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process with multiple performance characteristics based on the orthogonal array with the grey relational analysis has been studied. A grey relational grade obtained from the grey relational analysis is used to solve the EDM process with the multiple performance characteristics. Optimal machining parameters can then be determined by the grey relational grade as the performance index. In this study, the machining parameters, namely workpiece polarity, pulse on time, duty factor, open discharge voltage, discharge current, and dielectric fluid are optimized with considerations of multiple performance characteristics including material removal rate, surface roughness, and electrode wear ratio. Experimental results have shown that machining performance in the EDM process can be improved effectively through this approach.