Analytical and experimental study on the integration of ultrasonically vibrated tool into the micro electro-chemical discharge drilling

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a non-traditional machining process which is used to create micro-features on non-conductive materials. Micro holes and micro channels are the most interested features that have been fabricated by researchers. In recent years, some technical augmentations have been added to the ECDM process to achieve a more efficient machining process, but the employment of each augmentation in the most efficient way is not subjected. In this research, ultrasonic vibration is concentrated on the tool tip which directly and continuously effects on the machining zone and avoids global undesirable effects. For this purpose, modal analysis is used to design a special configuration which achieves the maximum amplitude of vibration in the tool tip. Also, an analytical model is presented for both of the electro-chemical discharge machining (ECDM) and ultrasonic assisted electro-chemical discharge machining (UAECDM) to study the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the thickness of gas film. Practical gas film thickness, machining speed, entrance overcut and tapering zone are studied for both of the ECDM and UAECDM to comprehensive understanding the effect of integration of ultrasonic vibration into the traditional ECDM process. Captures of gas film in different condition confirmed that ultrasonic vibration has reduced the thickness of gas film. Same behavior was achieved by employment of the analytical modeling. As a result, numerous small discharges were achieved which increased the material removal rate (MRR) and hole accuracy, simultaneously. Results showed that ultrasonic vibration can increase MRR up to 82%. Also, tapering zone and entrance overcut deviation as accuracy parameters improved 50% and 40%, respectively.     

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.     

Application of nano electrolyte in the electrochemical discharge machining process

As a nontraditional machining process, electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) can apply to hard and brittle materials such as glass and ceramic. Improvement of process efficiency is an important topic that has been addressed in many investigations using various techniques such as magnetic field and ultrasonic vibrations.Nano particles are new and advanced materials that can be dispersed in a fluid to obtain a nano fluid with desirable specifications. This method can be implemented in the ECDM process by the application of the nano electrolyte. Nano electrolyte can present enhanced properties, in particular enhanced electrical and thermal conductivities which lead to more powerful discharges and greater material removal.In order to study the variation of discharge physics, consequent captures from discharges were taken. Besides using current signal diagrams, larger numbers of discharges were found using nano electrolytes. Results of hole depth showed that both Cu and Al₂O₃ nano electrolytes improved the hole depth as 21.1% and 18.7%, respectively. An undesirable effect of nano electrolyte was observed on the entrance overcut, which raised 8.3% and 10.7% using Cu and Al₂O₃ nano electrolytes, respectively, in comparison to the simple electrolyte. This drawback is negligible compared to the significant improvement of hole depth. SEM images of tool wear showed larger molten materials on the tool main edges by the application of nano electrolyte.     

超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工研究

简述了超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工原理，并设计开发了相应的实验机床。实验结果表明：工具电极做超声振动时的材料去除率比工件做超声振动时的材料去除率要小；材料去除率随峰值电压、峰值电流、脉冲宽度、气体介质压力的增大而增大，随脉间宽度、工具电极壁厚的增大而减小。简述了超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工材料蚀除机理。     

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.     

基于Fluent的超声振动-气体介质电火花加工气体流场模拟

简述了超声振动-气体介质电火花加工的基本原理,建立了加工过程气体流场模型。并用Fluent有限元分析软件对气体流场进行了模拟,分析了气体压力、加工深度、放电间隙的变化对气体流速的影响。     

Micro-structuring of glass with features less than 100 μm by electrochemical discharge machining

Micro-electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) was studied in order to improve the machining of 3D micro-structures of glass. To minimize structures and obtain good surface microstructures, the effects of the electrolyte, the pulse on/off-time ratio, the voltage, the feedrate, the rotational speed, and the electrolyte concentration in the drilling and milling processes were studied.In ECDM, voltage is applied to generate a gas film and sparks on a tool electrode; however, high voltage produces poor machining resolution. To obtain a stable gas film over the whole surface of the tool at a low voltage, a new mechanical contact detector, based on a loadcell, was used; the immersion depth of the tool electrode in the electrolyte was reduced as much as possible. In this study, various micro-structures less than 100 μm in size, such as Ø 60 μm micro-holes, a 10 μm-thin wall, and a 3D micro-structure were fabricated to demonstrate the potential for micro-machining of glass by ECDM.     

Parametric analysis on electrochemical discharge machining of silicon nitride ceramics

The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has a potential in the machining of silicon nitride ceramics. This paper describes the development of a second order, non-linear mathematical model for establishing the relationship among machining parameters, such as applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap, with the dominant machining process criteria, namely material removal rate (MRR), radial overcut (ROC) and thickness of heat affected zone (HAZ), during an ECDM operation on silicon nitride. The model is developed based on response surface methodology (RSM) using the relevant experimental data, which are obtained during an ECDM micro-drilling operation on silicon nitride ceramics. We also offer an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a confirmation test to verify the fit and adequacy of the developed mathematical models. From the parametric analyses based on mathematical modelling, it can be recommended that applied voltage has more significant effects on MRR, ROC and HAZ thickness during ECDM micro-drilling operation as compared to other machining parameters such as electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap.     

Parametric analysis on electrochemical discharge machining of silicon nitride ceramics

The electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has a potential in the machining of silicon nitride ceramics. This paper describes the development of a second order, non-linear mathematical model for establishing the relationship among machining parameters, such as applied voltage, electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap, with the dominant machining process criteria, namely material removal rate (MRR), radial overcut (ROC) and thickness of heat affected zone (HAZ), during an ECDM operation on silicon nitride. The model is developed based on response surface methodology (RSM) using the relevant experimental data, which are obtained during an ECDM micro-drilling operation on silicon nitride ceramics. We also offer an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a confirmation test to verify the fit and adequacy of the developed mathematical models. From the parametric analyses based on mathematical modelling, it can be recommended that applied voltage has more significant effects on MRR, ROC and HAZ thickness during ECDM micro-drilling operation as compared to other machining parameters such as electrolyte concentration and inter-electrode gap.     

Experimental investigation on the effects of thermomechanical loading on the vibrational stability during rotary ultrasonic machining

Ultrasonic vibration is assumed to be stable or unchangeable during the process of rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) on brittle materials, neglecting the effects of different processing parameters. However, no experimental evidence has been reported to validate this assumption. In this study, the effect of thermomechanical load on the stability of ultrasonic amplitude during RUM was investigated by theoretical analysis and experimental procedures on quartz glass and sapphire. It was shown that the instability of ultrasonic amplitude during the machining process is mainly attributed to variation of resonant frequency under the implementation of thermomechanical load. The thermal effects of ultrasonic vibration decrease the resonant frequency of the ultrasonic machine, while mechanical loading during the machining process increases the resonant frequency. Furthermore, a higher feed rate or a harder material leads to a higher resonant frequency change. The variation of ultrasonic power can be used to review the validity of difference-neglected assumption when different values of processing variables, materials, or even machine tools are used during modeling. The results of this study should be well considered for future references when designing an ultrasonic machine.     

电火花复合加工原理及应用

介绍了电火花复合加工是在电火花加工基础上产生和发展起来的.通过对电火花加工、超声波电火花加工、超声振动辅助气中放电加工原理和特点的比较,指出了超声振动辅助气中放电加工技术应用前景,以及电火花复合加工的发展趋势.     

超声振动-气体介质电火花复合加工中表面质量的影响因素

介绍了一种新兴的加工技术,超声振动-气体介质电火花复合加工技术.通过分析和实验探讨超声振动-气体介质电火花复合加工中影响表面质量的因素,并提出改进措施.     

超声振动改善气体介质电火花加工的机理研究

提出了超声振动-气体介质电火花复合加工技术,在简述其加工原理的基础上分析了超声振动在改善气体介质电火花加工中的作用,以及相关的理论机理。实验结果表明,附加超声振动能改善放电间隙状态,减少短路、拉弧现象,提高了材料的去除率。进行了超声振动-气体介质电火花加工单脉冲实验设计。     

A finite element based model for electrochemical discharge machining in discharge regime

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a promising hybrid process for high-performance machining of non-conductive glass. ECDM drilling has been found to have different characteristics and material removal mechanisms in discharge regime (less than 300???m in depth) and hydrodynamic regime (more than 300???m in depth); however, these regimes are never separately modeled in existing ECDM models, which leads to large prediction error, especially at low applied voltages and high machining depths. Until now, no model is particularly designed for discharge regime, where most material is removed. In this paper, a finite element based model for ECDM drilling in discharge regime is presented. Material removal subjected to a single spark was simulated using finite element method. The drilling depth evolution in discharge regime was predicted. The model predictions were compared with experimental results for validation. The fraction of power transferred to workpiece was found to be about 29% in discharge regime.     

Rotary ultrasonic machining: effects of tool natural frequency on ultrasonic vibration amplitude

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is a hybrid machining process that combines the material removal mechanisms of grinding and ultrasonic machining. RUM has been applied to hole-making for a wide range of materials. It is known that ultrasonic vibration amplitude has significant effects on cutting force, torque, and surface finish in RUM. One experimental observation that has been reported in the literature multiple times states that different tools show different vibration amplitudes on the same ultrasonic power level. However, no analyses can be found in the literature to explain this observation. The existence of this knowledge gap makes it difficult to explain some experimentally obtained trends or to conduct more realistic physics-based modeling work. The objectives of this research are to understand the effects of tool natural frequency on ultrasonic vibration amplitude in RUM, to provide an explanation to the observation and verification of measurement methods, and also to guide tool design and selection in RUM. Ultrasonic vibration amplitudes of tools are measured by three methods and compared. It is found that tool natural frequency significantly affects ultrasonic vibration amplitude. The tool with its natural frequency closest to that of the ultrasonic power supply (20?kHz) generates the highest ultrasonic vibration amplitude on every ultrasonic power level tested.     

Experimental study of rotary magnetic field-assisted dry EDM with ultrasonic vibration of workpiece

Dry electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a green machining method which replaces the gas instead of liquid as dielectric medium. Due to the environmentally friendly nature of this method, recently, researchers focused on characterization of this process. In this work, effects of rotary magnetic field and also ultrasonic vibration of workpiece were studied on dry EDM process performance. Conducted experiments were divided in two main stages. At first stage, preliminary experiments were carried out to determine the best tool design in material and geometry points of view by considering the material removal rate (MRR). Also, effect of magnetic field was studied in the first stage. Results of the first stage of experiments indicated that the brass tool with two eccentric holes has the highest MRR rather than the other existing tool. In the second stage of experiments, parametric study on dry EDM process were implemented by using a brass tool with two eccentric holes and by applying rotary magnetic field for all experiments of the second stage. Influences of parameters such as pulse current, pulse on-time, pulse off-time, tool rotational speed, air injection inlet pressure, and especially power of ultrasonic table were studied on MRR, surface roughness (SR), electrode wear rate (EWR), and overcut (OC). Results showed that magnetic field has positive effects on MRR and SR. Also, by application of ultrasonic vibration achieving to superior MRR is feasible. At the end of the work, mathematical models were developed to correlate a relationship between process inputs and main outputs.     

超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工实验机床的设计

提出了工具电极超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工方法。设计了超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工实验机床。实验结果表明,该机床能够满足超声振动辅助气体介质电火花加工的要求。     

专用超声珩磨试验的CAT系统研制

该系统适用于超声振动珩磨试验,可以对超声振动加工的振幅、磨削区的珩磨温度和珩磨力３ 种不同特征的信号进行动态测试和快速处理。通过对数据的分析可以研究超声振动珩磨系统的局部共振特性,分析超声振动加工的加工性能,从而确定超声振动珩磨系统的设计准则。     

A note on influential control parameters for drilling of hard-to-machine steel by electrochemical discharge machining

In machining processes, determination of influence of process parameters on performance parameters is an interesting field for many researchers. Recently, Cotea?? et al. (Mater Manuf Process 26:1466–1472, 2011) have presented a regression model and the most effective factors on axial wear in electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM). They applied machined hole depth as an input parameter in predicting the axial tool wear. Using the hole length as a factor of variation in this case can be seen in two scenarios. In the current note, these two possible states are investigated, and the most effective process parameters on ECDM are determined by mean analysis, main effect plot and Pareto ANOVA.     

基于RSM的SiC单晶片表面粗糙度预测及参数优化

通过响应面分析法(RSM)对超声振动辅助金刚石线锯切割SiC单晶体的工艺参数进行分析和优化。采用中心组合设计实验,考察线锯速度、工件进给速度、工件转速和超声波振幅这4个因素对SiC单晶片表面粗糙度值的影响,建立了SiC单晶片表面粗糙度的响应模型,进行响应面分析,采用满意度函数(DFM)确定了切割SiC单晶体的最佳工艺参数,验证试验表明该模型能实现相应的硬脆材料切割过程的表面粗糙度预测。