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Three-dimensional numerical simulation of microelectric discharge machining of Ti-6Al-4V

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Abstract

The aim of the present work is to develop a predictive thermal model based on heat transfer principle for the simulation of single-spark microelectric discharge machining (μ-EDM). The three-dimensional model is solved using finite volume method (FVM). It utilizes the Gaussian distribution of heat flux, percentage distribution of energy among the workpiece, tool electrode, and dielectric to perform transient thermal analysis to predict the crater geometry and temperature distribution in the workpiece at different voltages and capacitance values along the x, y, and z directions. The experiments were performed for single-spark discharge using a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit with titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) as workpiece material and tungsten carbide as tool electrode. The experimental crater dimensions were measured by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The model is validated by comparing the predicted temperature distribution with the published results and also with experimental results. Results show that the trends predicted by the model are logical and match fairly well with the experimental trends.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India

    B. Kuriachen, Alwin Varghese & Jose Mathew

  2. Department of Technical Education, Bangalore, India

    K. P. Somashekhar

  3. Department of Mathematics, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India

    S. Panda

Authors
  1. B. Kuriachen
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  2. Alwin Varghese
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  3. K. P. Somashekhar
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  4. S. Panda
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  5. Jose Mathew
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Correspondence to B. Kuriachen.

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Kuriachen, B., Varghese, A., Somashekhar, K.P. et al. Three-dimensional numerical simulation of microelectric discharge machining of Ti-6Al-4V. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 79, 147–160 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-6794-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-6794-y

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