Abstract
Short electric arc milling (SEAM) is an efficient electrical discharge machining method, especially for the efficient removal of difficult-to-machine conductive materials with high hardness, high toughness, and wear resistance. In this study, titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V is used as the research object to conduct machining experiments. The material removal mechanism of SEAM technology is studied using a DC power supply and different tool electrode materials (copper, graphite, Q235 steel, and titanium). The energy distribution of the discharge gap is analyzed using a data acquisition system and a high-speed camera. The arc is found to move with the spindle rotation in the process of arc discharge, and multi-point discharge occurs in the process of single-arc discharge. The voltage and current waveforms and the radius of the etched particles during the experiment are measured; the material removal rate (MRR) and relative tool wear rate (RTWR) are calculated; and the surface and cross-section micromorphology and hardness are analyzed. The experimental results show that when the electrode material is graphite, the maximum feed rate is 650 mm/min; the MRR can reach 17268 mm3/min; the ideal maximum MRR is more than 65,000 mm3/min; and the RTWR is only 1.27%. When the electrode material is Q235 steel, the minimum surface roughness is 35.04 μm, and this material has good stability under different input voltages. When the electrode material is copper, the hardness of the resolidified layer is close to that of the base material, which is beneficial for further processing. The lowest specific energy consumption is 18.26 kJ/cm3 when titanium is used as the electrode material.
Highlights
Titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V has good mechanical properties such as high strength, good corrosion resistance, and high heat resistance
The experimental results show that when the electrode material is graphite, the maximum feed rate is 650 mm/min, the material removal rate (MRR) can reach 17268 mm3/min, the ideal maximum MRR is more than 65000 mm3/min, and the relative tool wear rate (RTWR) is only 1.27%
We mainly studied the material erosion mechanism of different electrode materials in the DC Short electric arc milling (SEAM) of titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V and explored the influence of voltage on the processing with different electrode materials in terms of the MRR, RTWR, SEC, and SR
Summary
Titanium alloy Ti–6Al–4V has good mechanical properties such as high strength, good corrosion resistance, and high heat resistance. The results show that compared with traditional milling, the electrode loss and cutting force are significantly reduced, and the surface quality is improved [4]. Yadav and Yadava (2015) studied the influences of the electrical parameters and rotation speed on the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of titanium alloys during EDM drilling; a rotating electrode was found to have the most significant impact on the results [6]. The above research on EDM technology makes the machining performance of titanium alloys better than that of traditional machining in terms of the tool loss, surface quality, and dimensional accuracy, it is insufficient for applications requiring mass removal of materials. Short electric arc machining (SEAM) technology has significant advantages in this regard
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