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Electrochemical machining of blades with cross-structural cathodes at leading/trailing edges

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Abstract

Blades are key components in modern aero engines. Their leading and trailing edges are extremely difficult to machine using electrochemical machining (ECM) because of their small thickness and radius of curvature and their marginal location. Traditional ECM of blades requires gaps between the convex part cathode and concave part cathode at the leading and trailing edges to allow passage of electrolyte. The presence of these gaps may lead to large variations in electric field intensity at the end of the machining process as the leading and trailing edges are forming. This paper proposes a new design of cross-structural cathodes to decrease the dynamic variation of the electric field at marginal locations. A mathematical model of material removal is established, taking account principally of the electric field factor. The forming process of the leading edge is simulated, and changes in electric field intensity during the final stages of the process are analyzed. The simulation results show that the maximum fluctuation in the electric field intensity at the leading edge is 62.42% when a conventional cathode is used, but only 30.51% with cross-structural cathodes. Experiments are conducted to compare the performance of conventional and cross-structural cathodes. The results show that, in comparison with conventional cathodes, the use of cross-structural cathodes reduces variations in machining current in the forming stage of margin profiles and leads to more accurate repeatability of the process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China

    Dong Zhu, Jibin Zhao, Ronghui Zhang & Lingguo Yu

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  1. Dong Zhu
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  2. Jibin Zhao
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  3. Ronghui Zhang
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  4. Lingguo Yu
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Correspondence to Dong Zhu.

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Zhu, D., Zhao, J., Zhang, R. et al. Electrochemical machining of blades with cross-structural cathodes at leading/trailing edges. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 93, 3221–3228 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0737-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0737-8

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