A review on material removal mechanism in electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) and possibilities to enhance the material removal rate

The concept of electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM), also known as electrochemical spark machining (ECSM), was presented for the first time in 1968. Since then, this technology remains as research topic and was never explained seriously for industrial applications. The ECDM is a non-traditional machining technology used for machining of electrically non-conducting materials like glass, ceramics, quartz, etc. The literature reveals that the concept of mechanism of material removal in this machining process is not yet understood well. However, phenomena involved in the material removal needs to be investigated well in order to improve the process. In this paper, the concept of mechanism of material removal in ECDM is reviewed till date; scopes for further research have been identified. Possible future efforts to enhance the material removal rate in ECDM are also discussed.     

Experimental attempts of sub-micrometer order size machining using micro-EDM

So far, parts larger than several micrometers can be machined by micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM). However, with the growing demands for even smaller parts, sub-micrometer order machining or even nanometer order machining are increasingly required in various industrial areas. In order to meet these requirements, the study on sub-micrometer order manufacturing has become considerably important. In the present study, experimental attempts of sub-micrometer order size machining using micro-EDM was performed, in which the smallest possible size that can be achieved for machined parts was examined, and the factors affecting the manufacturing of sub-micrometer parts were investigated. The results showed that insufficient positioning accuracy, smallest discharge energy and the machined shape error due to the influence of gap control and thermal deformation are not suitable for sub-micrometer machining. Disregarding positioning accuracy and machined shape error, cemented tungsten carbide (WC) and cemented tungsten carbide made of super fine particles (SWC) are relatively better than tungsten (W) from the viewpoint of material structure and influence of residual stress. In particular, SWC is more suitable than WC because both crystal grains size and size of defects among grains are smaller. Setting the polarity of workpiece negative was found to contribute to achieving sub-micrometer machining if the material removal rate is disregarded. Based on these investigation results, sub-micrometer machining using SWC was attempted. The minimum diameter obtained was about 2.8 μm.     

CFD在材料加工中的应用

计算流体动力学(CFD)方法实现了"计算试验",在材料加工工程领域应用日益广泛,是材料加工工程研究人员分析问题和解决问题的有力工具.综述CFD的发展现状、在材料加工工程领域中的应用以及CFD应用软件的现状.     

Modeling and simulation of material removal in planarization process

In planarization processes, material removal analysis is essential to the estimation of the wear rate and non-uniformity. A model that describes the material removal of a pad with rough surface grinding by using abrasive grains is developed. A collection of micro-contact spots is identified and the deformation approach is subsequently calculated. Elastic-plastic theory and the wear model are used to construct the expression for the magnitude of material removal as a function of the indentation depth. First, the indentation depth of micro-contact spots in the asperity of the pad and the deformation of the flat part of pad are obtained by using elastic-plastic theory. Then, the material removal caused by individual micro-contacts is calculated with the help of wear theory. Finally, the macroscopic wear volume is found by summing the volumetric wear of each individual micro-contact. Moreover, the pad dressing process is introduced to demonstrate the developed model for material removal. A parametric study is conducted to explore the influence on the material removal results and the planarization interfacial phenomena of operational parameters. These parameters compose of the applied down force, rotational speed of dresser, and the density of abrasive grains. The results provide a detailed picture of the interface phenomena and yield an insight into the physical effects of the operating parameters in the planarization processes.     

自动化仓库物流系统的计算机模拟与动画显示

根据自动化立体仓库物流系统的基本特点,论述物计算机模拟和动画显示的基本要不的方法,提出解决物流系统中包括随机数、“合流与分岔”及触发机制造等一系列问题的具体解决方法,并以实例说明计算机模拟软件的功能和实现方法。     

基于材料去除的微制造技术发展

这里将微机械制造技术分为材料去除技术、材料沉积(增材)制造技术和变形制造技术,对基于材料去除的微制造技术的原理、方法、特点、应用和发展现状进行了比较和综述,在此基础上对微制造技术的发展方向作出了预测。     

Experimental and numerical investigations of material removal process in electrochemical discharge machining of glass in discharge regime

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) can be applied as a non-traditional processing technology for machining non-conductive materials such as glass and ceramics, based on the phenomena of evoked electrochemical discharges around the tool electrode. The material removal mechanism of ECDM is noticeably complex and difficult to experimentally characterize. In this paper, finite element models were proposed to predict the material removal in the ECDM discharge regime. First, the single-pulse discharge on a tapered electrode was modeled. It was found that about 30.5% of the discharge energy is transferred to the workpiece. The continuous discharge on a cylindrical electrode was thereafter modeled according to this phenomenon, in which the removal of a layer of the workpiece material starts from the projected contour of the edge of the electrode end and extends inward during the ECDM processing. The effective discharge ratio for material removal was calculated to be 10.1%. The drilling depths of holes at different applied voltages were predicted by the proposed finite element method. It was found that the predicted values were consistent with the experimental results.     

液体喷射抛光技术材料去除机理的有限元分析

实验研究了液体喷射抛光技术的材料去除量分布特征,并利用有限元分析方法,分析了抛光头(液体柱)与工件表面相互作用时流场的分布特点。实验结果及计算机模拟的结果表明,材料去除量与射流碰撞工件后流体沿工件表面的速度有关,即材料去除量的分布与抛光液在工件表面速度场的分布有关,速度分布最大的边缘部分,材料去除量最大;相互作用区外,速度逐渐减小,材料去除量也随之渐少。该现象说明,抛光液中磨料粒子的径向流动对工件产生的径向剪切应力是材料去除的关键。     

Modelling of surface finish,electrode wear and material removal rate in electrical discharge machining of hard-to-machine alloys

Hard-to-machine alloys are commonly used for industrial applications in the aeronautical, nuclear and automotive sectors, where the materials must have excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation, high temperature resistance and high mechanical strength. In this present study the influence of different parameters of the electrical discharge machining process on surface roughness, electrode wear and material removal rate have been studied. Regression techniques are employed to model arithmetic mean deviation Ra (μm), peak count Pc (1/cm), material removal rate MRR (mm³/min) and electrode wear EW (%). All these parameters have been studied in terms of current intensity supplied by the generator of the electrical discharge machine I (A), pulse time t_i (μs), duty cycle η and open-circuit voltage U (V). This modelling allows us to obtain mathematical data and models to predict that the most influential factor in MRR and Ra is the current intensity and in the case of EW and Pc is the pulse time.     

Investigation of pad wear in CMP with swing-arm conditioning and uniformity of material removal

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process plays the role of planarizing and smoothing the uneven layers after the material deposition process in the semiconductor industry. In this process, pad conditioning using a diamond disk is inevitable to attain a high material removal rate (MRR) and to ensure the stability of the process. Pad conditioning is performed for providing uniform surface roughness and opening up the glazed surfaces of the polishing pad. However, the uneven pad wear resulting from pad conditioning leads to changes in the uniformity of MRR and productivity of the device. In this study, we investigate the pad wear profile after swing-arm conditioning of the pad, based on measurements performed using a pad measurement system (PMS). Conditioning experiments are conducted with seven cases of profiles of the conditioner's duration time (PCDT). In all the cases, “W”-shaped pad profiles are generated through swing-arm conditioning. It is observed that a concave-shaped PCDT results in the lowest value of maximum pad wear rate. The average depth of pad wear (h_avg) is mainly related to the MRR, and the maximum depth of pad wear (h_max) and the horizontal distance from the wafer center to the position (e) where the maximum pad wear occurs affect the within-wafer non-uniformity (WIWNU). A concave-shaped PCDT results in longer life of the polishing pad by minimizing the variation in pad wear. This paper can provide a technical assistance in selecting the conditioning recipe and improving the lifetime of the polishing pad in the CMP process.     

Analysis of the effect of vibrations on the micro-EDM process at the workpiece surface

In this study, the effect of vibrations on the electrical discharges in the micro-EDM (electrical discharge machining) process was investigated. The electrical discharge machining of micro bores was chosen to represent a typical application. Using sophisticated measuring equipment to record and analyse current and voltage waveforms as well as electrode feeding during the process, deeper insight into the discharge mechanisms was achieved. It was found, that the micro-EDM boring process can be subdivided into three major parts, the start-up process, the major boring process and the workpiece breakthrough of the tool electrode. Extensive investigations have shown a delayed start-up process on the workpiece surface for conventional micro-EDM; however, this effect can be reduced by inducing vibration on the workpiece. The cause of this reduction was analysed by single discharge analysis which also provides a means to investigate the effect of vibration frequency.     

薄膜成核过程的分子动力学模拟

用分子动力学的方法,在计算机上模拟了在具有不同偏斜度Sk的衬底上薄膜的成核过程,从理论上证明了偏斜度Sk取值在-1～-3时,薄膜的成核率高,从而有利于薄膜的生长。     

Modelling of surface finish and material removal rate in rough honing

In the present work influence of different parameters of the rough honing process on surface roughness and material removal rate were studied. Specifically, second order mathematical models are presented for mean average roughness Ra (μm), maximum peak-to-valley roughness Rt (μm) and material removal rate Qm (cm min⁻¹), obtained by means of regression analysis.     

Novel methods for high-speed observation of material removal and molten pool movement in EDM

This paper proposes two new methods to observe discharge phenomena without interference from the plasma in electrical discharge machining. The first method uses a bandpass filter with a bandwidth of 800–820 nm and laser illumination with a wavelength of 800–820 nm. The second method also uses a bandpass filter with a bandwidth of 800–820 nm; however, in this method, the tungsten material is used not only as the tool electrode but also as the illumination source. First, the discharge process was observed using traditional methods to investigate the influence of the plasma on the observation of the discharge process. Then, the process of removing molten material from both the tool electrode and workpiece, as well as molten pool movement, was observed using the first method proposed in this paper. The material removed from the tool electrode was scattered upward along the end profile of the tool electrode, while the material removed from the workpiece was distributed along the horizontal direction. To explain these phenomena, the flow distribution in the gap was qualitatively analyzed using a fluid simulation. Finally, the discharge process was also observed using the second method proposed in this paper. A tungsten tool electrode can emit light with a wavelength of 800–820 nm, which shines on the observed region during the discharge process. The observation results verified the phenomenon of multiple explosions of the molten pool during the discharge process. Moreover, it was found that the material removed by the explosion of the molten pool was scattered in different directions and hardly influenced by the flow distribution in the gap.     

Molecular dynamics simulation on nanotribological properties of molecular deposition film during the scan process

In this paper, a molecular dynamics simulation has been used to study the nanotribological properties of the molecular deposition film deposited on the Au (111) substrate during the scan process with an Au tip. The results show that the tilt angle and the potential energy of the molecules near the tip are both increased with decreasing distance between the tip and monolayer. Continuous slip also occurs during the slip stage. Furthermore, the regular stick-slip is in agreement with the spatial structure.     

Effect of interfacial friction force on material removal in full aperture continuous polishing process

Full aperture continuous polishing using pitch lap is a key process of finishing large flat optical workpiece. The friction force of the workpiece and pitch lap interface significantly affects material removal. In this work, the friction force was determined by a measurement system that uses force transducers to support the workpiece. Experimental and theoretical analyses have been carried out to investigate the evolution of friction force with polishing time and its effect on material removal. Our results show that the friction coefficient of the workpiece/lap interface decreases during polishing, which is due to surface smoothing of the viscoelastic pitch lap by loading conditioner. In addition, the spatial average and uniformity of material removal rate (removal coefficient) increases with the increase of friction coefficient, which is due to rough lap surface, provides more sharp asperities to charge the polishing particles.     

超高速磨削切屑去除机理的分子动力学仿真研究

利用分子动力学建立了超高速磨削的物理模型和数学模型,模型包括边界原子层、牛顿原子层和恒温原子层。运用Tersoff势函数对磨粒原子和工件原子之间的相互作用力进行计算。建立了模拟的运动方程,对其进行数值求解,从而获得工件原子变化后的位移和速度。模拟了不同磨削深度下切屑的形成情况。讨论磨削深度对切屑形成过程的影响,研究了超高速磨削冲击成屑的机理。     

An analytical model of the material removal rate between elastic and elastic-plastic deformation for a polishing process

This paper develops an analytical model for the material removal rate during specimen polishing. The model is based on the micro-contact elastic mechanics, micro-contact elastic-plastic mechanics and abrasive wear theory. The micro-contact elastic mechanics between the pad-specimen surfaces used the Greenwood and Williamson elastic model. The micro-contact elastic-plastic mechanics between specimen and particle, as well as the micro-contact elastic mechanics between particle and pad, are also analyzed. The cross-sectional area of the worn groove in the specimen is considered as trapezoidal area. A close-form solution of material removal rate from the specimen surface is the function of average diameter of slurry particles, pressure, the specimen/pad sliding velocity, Equivalent Young’s modulus, RMS roughness of the pad, and volume concentration of the slurry particle.     

Effect of speed on material removal behavior in scribing of monocrystalline silicon

This paper investigates the effect of scribing speed on the surface morphology and material removal behavior in diamond wire sawing of monocrystalline silicon through specially designed high-speed diamond scribing experiments. High-speed scribing tests are performed on a (100) monocrystalline silicon wafer over a wide range of speeds. The results show that a higher scribing speed is prone to inducing more surface defects such as burrs and tearing in the ductile scribing region, and more radial cracks in the brittle scribing region. The critical scribing depth of ductile-to-brittle transition is found to decrease with increasing scribing speed. A strain rate hardening effect is evident in the experimental data, which explains the underlying mechanism for promotion of brittle fracture at higher scribing speeds.