Electrochemical trepanning with uniform electrolyte flow around the entire blade profile

Abstract

In the traditional machining process for diffusers, blades are easily deformed, and methods suffer from high tool wear and low efficiency. Electrochemical machining (ECM) possesses unique advantages when applied to these difficult-to-machine materials. In the ECM process, the flow field plays a crucial role. Here, an electrolyte flow mode that supplies uniform flow around the entire blade profile was adopted for electrochemical trepanning of diffusers. Various flow rates were employed to obtain the optimal flow field. Simulations were conducted using ANSYS software, and results indicated that increasing the flow rate substantially afforded a more uniform flow field. A series of experiments was then performed, and results revealed that increasing the flow rate greatly improved both the machining efficiency and the surface quality of the diffusers. The maximum feeding rate of the cathode reached 4 mm/min, the blade taper of the concave part decreased to 0.02, and the blade roughness was reduced to 1.216 μm. The results of this study demonstrated the high feasibility of this method and its potential for machining other complex components for engineering applications.