Study of voltage regulation strategy in electrochemical machining of blisk channels using tube electrodes

Abstract

Electrochemical machining (ECM) using tube electrodes is an effective approach for the rough machining of turbo engine blisks. The uniformity of the channel allowance decisively influences the accuracy of subsequent ECM precision for the blisk. A voltage regulation strategy to minimize allowance differences in the ECM is proposed. Simulation and experimental investigations are performed to determine the relationships between the channel width and the applied voltage. Comparative experiments using the conventional constant voltage method and the proposed voltage regulation method are performed. The experimental results show that the allowance differences on the back and basin surfaces of the blade are reduced by 47.81% and 51.57%, respectively, using the proposed method. Thus, the experimental results verify that the voltage regulation strategy is effective for the ECM of blisk channels.