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Influence of electrode feed directions on EDM machining efficiency of deep narrow slots

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Abstract

Deep narrow slot (DNS) structures are commonly used in slots for inserts in tire molds, die-casting molds of heat-dissipating fins, grooves in flexible joints of gyros, and seal slots in turbine blades. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) of DNSs is a time-consuming process, because traditional EDM machines adopt a vertical downward feed direction to remove materials, resulting in debris deposition in the gap by means of gravity. In this paper, systematic experiments are carried out to investigate the effect of different feed directions on the machining efficiency of EDM DNS structures. Thirteen feed directions with an incremental angle of 15° from −90 to 90° have been tested without electrode jumps. Among them, the feed directions of 0° and 15° have the highest machining efficiency, which even exceeds the machining efficiency achieved with electrode jumps. A machining efficiency model with respect to feed direction is built based on experimental results. The gap discharge state is acquired by an FPGA circuit based on discharge state analyzer, associated with machining efficiency curves. For most feed directions, the discharge rate drops significantly after the machining depth around 4 mm, leading to an obvious turning point in the machining efficiency curve. To explore the reasons for machining efficiency changes during the machining of DNS, the movements of bubbles are observed by a high-speed camera for calculating their speeds and sizes.

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Data availability

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

Code availability

This paper uses proprietary software and will be not available.

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Funding

This research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51805324) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2017M621460).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Rd, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Rui-Xue Zhang, Mo Chen, Zi-Lun Li, Xue-Cheng Xi, Ya-Ou Zhang & Wan-Sheng Zhao

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  1. Rui-Xue Zhang
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  2. Mo Chen
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  3. Zi-Lun Li
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  4. Xue-Cheng Xi
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  5. Ya-Ou Zhang
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Contributions

Rui-Xue Zhang: conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, and writing—original draft and editing. Mo Chen: formal analysis, validation, and software. Zi-Lun Li: funding acquisition, supervision, and writing—reviewing and editing. Xue-Cheng Xi: formal analysis and validation. Ya-Ou Zhang: formal analysis and software. Wan-Sheng Zhao: funding acquisition, supervision, and writing—reviewing and editing.

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Correspondence to Mo Chen.

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Zhang, RX., Chen, M., Li, ZL. et al. Influence of electrode feed directions on EDM machining efficiency of deep narrow slots. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 117, 3415–3429 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07907-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-07907-5

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