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Chain discharging behavior induced by gas film expansion and its influence on the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process

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Abstract

Spark discharge behavior governs the material removal rate and surface quality during the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process. Most of the studies indirectly inferred the spark discharge behavior from recorded current waveforms or machined results. So far, the dynamic process of spark discharges and its instantaneous effects have not been revealed. In this research, an in-situ observation-based discharge analysis was conducted using high-speed image technology to characterize spark discharges. As a result, the spark discharge cycle can be divided into three stages: bubble generation, gas film formation, and spark discharge occurring. By analyzing images of the gas film and sparks, the effects of applied voltage and inter-electrode gap on the gas-film dimension, discharge intensity, discharge location, and discharge uniformity are obtained. The phenomena of the chain discharges caused by expansion and morphology of the gas film are discovered for the first time. The chain discharges induce continuous transfer of the discharge locations, which affects the material removal region and shape evolution of the workpiece. The chain discharge as a new phenomenon can help us to understand the mechanism and analyze the processing results of ECDM.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author or the first author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 92060108, 52205439) and Independent Research Project of State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment (SKLT2022B08).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Lab of Precision/Ultra-Precision Manufacturing Equipments and Control, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Guodong Liu, Hao Tong, Tianyi Wu, Yong Li & Yuge Luo

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China

    Guodong Liu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Hao Tong & Yong Li

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  1. Guodong Liu
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  2. Hao Tong
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  3. Tianyi Wu
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  4. Yong Li
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  5. Yuge Luo
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Contributions

Guodong Liu: conceptualization, formal analysis, data curation, validation, roles/writing—original draft. Hao Tong: original idea, funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, writing—reviewing & editing. Tinayi Wu: Investigation. Yong Li: supervision, resources.

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Correspondence to Hao Tong.

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Liu, G., Tong, H., Wu, T. et al. Chain discharging behavior induced by gas film expansion and its influence on the electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 124, 2755–2767 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-10665-7

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