Parametric analysis and optimization of magnetic field-assisted electrochemical spark drilling (MF-ECSD)

Abstract

Electrochemical spark machining (ECSM) is gaining tremendous recognition in the research fraternity due to its ability to machine non-conductive materials and hybridize with other forms of energy (ultrasonic and magnetic). In the present work, ECSM has been hybridized with magnetic energy by adding an electromagnetic unit in the in-house developed setup of magnetic field-assisted electrochemical spark drilling (MF-ECSD), to improve the material removal rate (MRR), machining depth (MD) and overcut (OC) of sodalime glass. Due to the addition of electromagnetic component into the setup, magnetic field of varying strengths were generated near the machining zone. Effect of magnetic field on size of bubbles and in exclusion of fragments from the machining region was examined during experimentations. This study also concentrated on the effect of selected input factors such as applied voltage, NaOH concentration, tool rotational speed (TRS) and magnetic field intensity (MFI) on MRR, MD, and OC. The regression model was developed based on experimental results and further analyzed to predict the pattern of responses beyond the selected range of parameters. The experimental and analytical results were in good corroboration and all the factors were found significant for enhancing the responses. Later, the Desirability Function technique for multi-objective optimization was applied to maximize MRR and MD and minimize OC which yielded an ideal value of 40.10 V, 30 wt%, 90 rpm, and 0 Tesla with overall desirability of 0.7238.