Mechanism of material removal in electrochemical discharge machining: a theoretical model and experimental verification

Electrochemical discharge machining is a very recent technique in the held of non-conventional machining to machine electrically non-conducting materials using the electrochemical discharge (ECD) phenomenon. If a beyond-critical voltage is applied to an electrochemical cell, discharge initiates between one tool of the electrodes and the surrounding electrolyte, which is termed here 'electrochemical discharge'. In the present work a simplified model is developed to predict the characteristics of the material removal rate for varying input parameters with the objective of finding the possibility of enhancing the capability of the process. The ECD phenomenon has been analysed as a switching process between the tool (one of the electrodes) and the electrolyte and it has been found that an extra control parameter can be obtained by introducing an additional inductance in the circuit. The theoretical and experimental results indicate that a substantial increase in the material removal rate can be achieved due to the additional inductance introduced. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.