Simulation and experimental studies on surface quality of vibration-assisted ECM.

Electrochemical machining (ECM) offers a superior technology for manufacturing hard-cutting metals such as modified Inconel 718 (IN718). However, in many cases, poor surface quality arises because of the specific dissolution characteristics of the material, hindering further application of the process. Vibration-assisted ECM (VA-ECM) has been proposed in the hope of solving the problem by oscillating the cathode. A multiphysics model was developed for pulsed ECM (PECM) and VA-ECM. Systematic experiments were performed to clarify the mechanism of cathode oscillation on surface quality and verify the computational results. With 20 Hz vibration frequency and 25% duty cycle, the surface roughness reaches 0.39 µm, show that higher oscillation frequency and lower duty cycle are effective in improving surface quality. Finally, dissolution models of modified IN718 under PECM and VA-ECM are proposed. By oscillating the cathode, electrolyte fluctuation is enhanced, electrolytic products are removed effectively, the surface quality is improved significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]