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Flow field improvement by optimizing turning profile at electrolyte inlet in electrochemical machining

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Abstract

Flow field is one of the crucial factors that influence the surface quality in electrochemical machining (ECM). In this study, to eliminate the flow marks on aero engine blades, the distribution of flow field is optimized by adjusting the turning profile on the cathode at the electrolyte inlet. To observe the flow situation, a simulation model is proposed with varying turning radii by using the finite element method. Then, the turning radius is optimized dynamically. When the radius is 0 mm, cavitation occurs at the inlet near the cathode side and the electrolyte velocity is very small at the turning location, which might produce the flow mark. However, when the radius increases to 0.5 mm, the uniformity of the distribution of flow field in the machining gap is clearly improved. Furthermore, verification experiments are performed at radii of 0 and 0.5 mm for the ECM of blades. Major flow marks are observed on the machining profile at the radius of 0 mm, whereas the profile is smooth at the radius of 0.5 mm. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results, which implies that the proposed optimization method is effective in improving the flow field.

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Abbreviations

ECM:

Electrochemical Machining

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210-016, China

    Dong Zhu, Ronghui Zhang & Cheng Liu

Authors
  1. Dong Zhu
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  2. Ronghui Zhang
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  3. Cheng Liu
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Correspondence to Dong Zhu.

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Zhu, D., Zhang, R. & Liu, C. Flow field improvement by optimizing turning profile at electrolyte inlet in electrochemical machining. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 18, 15–22 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0002-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0002-y

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